A Double Edged Sword
by Sailor Janus
Summary: REWRITTEN. The lives of the sailor senshi seemed peaceful until a forgotten member of their group with a dark past reappears in their lives. Peculiarly, the newest nemisis posing an interest in the girl as well as a plot to destory the sailor senshi.
1. Dark Light

A Double-Edged Sword Part 1

Dark Light

by

Sailor Janus

Disclaimer: Everything in this story is property of Naoko Takeuchi except Janus/Deidera and the villains unless she wants them.

*~*~*~*

       "It had been several months since we had defeated the Chaos possessed, Galaxia. All seemed to be perfectly normal and soon we were able to enjoy our freedom from fighting evil for a change," Sailor Pluto reminisced, staring out at the endless night sky as her dark green hair blew gently in the breeze. The look in her garnet eyes expressed deep thoughts, which seemed to overwhelm and almost pain the soldier of time. 

       "How, naive of us to believe it was finally over. That we were free from our eternal duties so simply, when in reality, the war has only just begun." Pluto dropped her head as she softly spoke the last few words. She was only talking to herself as if to find comfort in hearing her own voice being that she was alone. "If only I could have warned them. If only we had known of the danger. Of course, it was impossible to have known this was going to happen. That everything was about to unravel under our fingers with no possible way to prevent it."

*~*~*~*

      It was a beautiful, bright and sunny day. The streets of Tokyo were bustling with activity as adults and children alike, traveled them in hopes to savor the last of the weekend before the daily grind was to begin again. 

       "Wow, I didn't think it'd be this packed!" Minako exclaimed as she and her friends tried to weave their way through the crowds to their destination, the shopping center. 

       "Guess our great idea was the same as everyone else's," Rei said through gritted teeth as she tried to avoid being hit by a frantic lady's purse. "Whose stupid idea was this anyway to go shopping on one of the busiest days of the year right before school starts?!"

       "Umm, uh...." Minako and Usagi both sweated as they tried to avoid looking at Rei. "Hey! We're here!" 

       "And, so is everyone else, eh," Makoto sighed as they stared wide-eyed at the huge crowds. "So, where to first?"

       "CLOTHES!" the two blonde-haired girls cried out as they excitedly jumped up and down.

       "Actually, there is a book I am dying to buy at the bookstore on where the best colleges are. After all, soon we will be graduating from high school and still have our futures to look at," Ami suggested as she began discussing the last thing the others had on their mind. School.

       "Hi you guys!" someone said slowing their pace to match the five girls.

       "Hi, Haruka! Hi Michiru!" the girls greeted as they recognized the two newcomers. 

        "Wow, it's been a long time since we you saw you two!" Minako grinned enthusiastically, flipping her long blonde hair off her shoulder.

       "So what are you two doing here? I mean your mansion is in the next town after all," Makoto questioned the two girls curiously since whenever they ran into the outer senshi it meant there was a new villain to fight.

       "We went out for a ride and then decided to go shopping instead since Haruka needs new track shoes and I am in dire need of a new dress for my concerts," Michiru explained as she smiled at the five girls who she had fought along side in battle several months ago.

       "So what about you guys? Trying to savor the last of summer vacation?" Haruka asked as she shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

       "Yeah, We still can't believe that classes start tomorrow!" Minako answered with a depressing sigh. 'More tests, more homework…..more cute guys. Maybe it won't be so bad after all.' 

       "Oh! Look! There's a sale at the culinary shop!" Makoto pointed, not really paying to what was going on around her as she accidentally hit another girl with her hand.

       "Ow!" the girl cried out as the brunette's hand smacked her in the face. "Hey! What was that for?!" Makoto froze for a brief second out of embarrassment as she turned to look at what all the commotion was about.

       Makoto quickly unfroze and turned to the girl, her blood rushing to her already red face. "Ah! Oh, I am so sorry! I wasn't really paying attention to where my hand was going. I just saw the sale and my hand took over I guess," The pony tailed girl nervously laughed as she turned a brighter shade of red. 'I can't believe I just hit a total stranger in the face! Usagi must be rubbing off on me!' 

       The girl stared at the tall brunette for a brief minute and then laughed as she flicked a burgundy strand of curly hair off her shoulder. "It's okay, you just caught me by surprise. Don't worry, I'm not hurt or anything. Just try to be more careful next time I guess." She smiled as she turned and walked away while the other senshi stared after her.

       "Well, that went better than I thought. I was afraid she was really mad or something!"  Minako said with a shrug watching the girl depart.

       "I wouldn't expect her to make a scene. After all, it was an accident," Ami explained as she and her friends continued walking through the busy shopping center.

       "I have an odd feeling about that girl," Michiru quietly said to Haruka out of earshot of the talkative teenagers.

       Nodding her head, Haruka agreed. "I know, it's like we know her from someplace but I can't really put a finger on where."

*~*~*~*

       In a dark unknown location, a very mysterious man cackled fiendishly as a magenta-haired woman entered the darkly lit room. 

      "Chimaera, have you located the girl yet? We need her to carry out our plan. Without her, then success will be impossible," the man said with his back turned to her.

      "Not yet, Lord Cacus. She is quite a difficult one to find, but no worries, she will soon reveal her location in due time," Chimaera replied as her black eyes shone in the dim light.

      Slowly turning around, the man chuckled as he faced the woman, "Excellent. Soon I will finish what others only have started. However, unlike Queen Beryl, Wise Man, Pharaoh 90, and the many others, I have shall acquire the correct key to conquering the world, this one however they either did not know existed or have simply forgotten, just like those insipid Sailor Senshi." 

      "Would you like me to prepare an attack now?" Chimaera asked as she smoothed her midnight black dress.

      "No, no, let's give the girl sometime to adjust to this new place before we tear her from it!"

      Evil laughter begins to fill the room.

*~*~*~*

       Back in the shopping center, each of the seven girls had finally found an item of purchase, which pleased them as they now attempted to make their way through the horrendous crowds of people so they could return home. Unfortunately, this was a rather difficult task to achieve.

         "Ugh! Why do I feel like a salmon trying to swim up stream!" Rei muttered as she tried to maneuver herself around a family with two hyper kids and an elderly couple walking very slowly.

      "I have no clue. OW! HEY! WATCH IT!" Minako cried out as a lady's purse hit her in the arm. The woman however didn't even apologize. "Geez! Some people!" 

      "Oh, I wish Mamoru were here!" Usagi sighed as she walked slowly behind her friends who appeared rather annoyed at her comment. 

      "Usagi, you know very well, that Mamoru cannot be with you every single second of the day!" Rei stated dryly.

      "Why do you have to be so mean to me, Rei?!" Usagi whined as the others tried to ignore her.

      "Because you're so annoying," Rei said under her breath softly so Usagi wouldn't hear. She really did like being friends with Usagi, but sometimes the girl just got so irritating that it drove her crazy.

      "Hey look! There's Hotaru! I wonder what is she doing here?" Ami said as she pointed out the Sailor Senshi known as Saturn who was glancing through a window of an antique store staring at a beautiful glass lamp with lilac flowers painted on it. 

      "Wow, it's been awhile since we have seen her. Let's go say hi," Michiru said as she smiled at the girl whom herself, Haruka, and Setsuna helped to temporally care for.

      The others agreed as they smiled. Just as they were about to greet her, however, the girls abruptly froze dead in their tracks as Hotaru spun around. There was something very different about the girl.

      "Hotaru! You-you aged again!" Makoto managed to say as they gaped at the girl who was once a child but had changed once again into a teenager. 

      Laughing Hotaru nodded her head, "Yes, I did age again and hopefully for the last time. If I keep it up at this rate, I'll be a senior citizen before all of you reach 30!" 

      "So are you at the age you were before you died or older?" Minako asked still rather shocked.

      "Yes,  I am now the age I am supposed to be and have actually grown taller, which is why I am here, shopping for new clothes," Hotaru smiled as she held up the bags she was holding.

      "But isn't this a long ways from home?" The blonde race car driver asked, feeling happy to see Hotaru's face again.

      "Actually, this is where my new home is. Since the lab and the academy where I went to school are gone, Papa wanted to move on and start a new, so we moved into a house here. Oddly enough, after I got my results back from the school entrance exams, they allowed me to skip a grade because my scores were so high. This will mean I'll be going to the same school as the rest of you, not the same grade of course."

       "Wow! Good for you, Hotaru! Does your father remember anything that happened from when you were possessed?" Ami thoughtfully asked, as the girl cringed for a split second to her friend's unawareness.

       "Surprisingly, no. Somehow I managed to make him believe that the head trauma that he suffered from was due to the explosion of the academy and that while he was recovering, I was staying with family."

       "But, what about when he saw you as a baby again?" Rei questioned the girl.

       Laughing, Hotaru smiled, "It was only a dream. Even the nurses do not remember much of what had happened, so they cannot verify that I actually was a baby for well over a year, as well as the fact that they never saw me grow into a toddler. Everything seems perfectly normal now," she smiled as she checked her watch. "Anyway, I hate to run, but I must get back home or my father is going to worry about me. Not to mention the fact that he is letting me borrow his credit card. See you guys later!" 

       With a faded smile Hotaru disappeared into the crowd, heading in the opposite direction of the other Sailor Senshi.

       "I swear he spoils her rotten! Of course so did we when she was young," Michiru giggled, recalling the times the outers had together when Hotaru was reborn as an infant and then grew into a toddler.

*~*~*~*

       In the darkly lit room of Lord Cacus's private chamber, the man stood with his back towards the door examining what appeared to be a crystal-like ball with flashes of color glowing about it. He seemed almost in trance when suddenly he sensed someone's presence. 

       "Have you found the girl yet, Chimaera?" the man crisply inquired, never breaking his gaze from the colors in the ball.

       The magenta-haired woman looked surprised that he knew she was there but recovered. "Yes, we believe that we may know the location of the girl. We just need to find the perfect moment to allow her to reveal herself."  

       "Excellent. Soon I'll have her under my control and then we can begin the next phase of my plan!" Lord Cacus cackled as he thought fiendishly of exactly what he was going to do as soon as he once again had the girl in the palm of his hand. "You may go now, Chimaera, and please notify me as soon as you find the girl. Understand?"

       "Yes my Lord."          

*~*~*~*

Author's Note: This has been completely revised by the time you are reading this. I've completed all the necessary grammar checks as well as changed the dubbed names, although I do not know too much of Japanese so I'm not incorporating too much other than the names.

This was my very first story to be posted here and to tell you the truth, I have improved, dramatically since then so I decided to give this one the overhaul it very well deserves. It's only far to Deidera after all.

Hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review.


	2. Never Look Twice

A Double-Edged Sword Part 2

 Never Look Twice

by

Sailor Janus

        The next day began like almost any other morning. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and Usagi and Minako were racing off to school late once again. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary except for one girl who was slowly walking down a crowded hallway at Juuban High School trying to find room 104.

      "Wow, it seems nothing like the academy, but then again, it is rather similar. At least no one has declared me as weird yet," Hotaru said softly to herself. Soon she found her destination, room number 104. Taking a deep breath the dark violet-haired girl grabbed the doorknob, turning the handle as she pulled the door open and walked inside. 

      Clutching her school bag for what seemed like dear life, Hotaru glanced around the small room. 'Great. Everyone already knows each other. Oh well, better find a seat.'

      Slowly the violet-eyed teen walked rather self-consciously across the room to find a desk. Luckily she was able to find a vacant chair in the back row. Hotaru did well in school, but she was still very uncertain around her peers that she preferred sitting in the back where she didn't feel as if everyone were watching her not to mention that she was now a year younger than her classmates. 

      As Hotaru took her seat, she noticed that there was a girl next to her who appeared to be rather alone as well. Silently the green-eyed girl scribbled on a sheet of paper in her red notebook before pausing to glance at the people chatting in the room. Heavily she sighed and scribbled a little more in the notebook once again before softly closing it.

    'I wonder who she is? No one seems to take notice to her. Then again, no one is actually going out of their way to meet me either,' Hotaru concluded turning her attention to the teacher, Miss Leona as class began. 

*~*~*~*

      "AHHH! I can't believe that there is a test tomorrow!" Usagi whined with tears in her blue eyes as she followed Makoto out of the building. School was finally over for the day, which fortunately for Usagi as well as many other students, meant a chance of freedom. Of course, not until after studying and completing various homework assignments.

      "It's only a review test so Miss G. can figure out what level everyone is on," the brunette said trying to calm her panicky friend.

      "I'm gonna flunk it! I just know it!" the blonde cried out with the tears now gushing out of her eyes.

      "Calm down, Usagi! That's not as bad as what I'm going to have to do! I have an essay due tomorrow!'" Minako complained as she flicked a strand of hair off her shoulder.

      "Hello everyone," Ami greeted her friends as she joined them.

      "Hi, Ami. Where's Hotaru? I thought we were all going to walk home together?" Usagi inquired, shuffling the books cradled in her arms.

      "She should be here any minute." 

      "Oh, look, there she is! Hey, Hotaru! Over here!" Makoto called to the younger dark-haired girl.

      Glancing up, Hotaru slightly smiled, lighting up her face after she found four friendly faces in a sea of strangers. "Hi."

      "Did classes go okay, Hotaru?" Ami asked as they began heading home together.

      "Yeah, even though everyone seems pretty stuck up and didn't even try to greet me or anything," Hotaru shrugged. 

      "They'll come around. Don't worry, Hotaru."

      "I hope so because it really sucks being the new girl in school."  

      "Hey, isn't that the girl who you smacked yesterday, Makoto?" Minako asked as she pointed to the girl who was walking a few feet in front of them.

      "MINAKO! That was an accident!" the tall green-eyed girl shouted as she turned beet red.

      Startled by Makoto's outburst, the girl turned around to find out what the commotion was about, eying the group of girls suspiciously.

      "Uh, heh heh, Hi," Makoto waved as she blushed. 'I could kill Minako.'

      "Hi," the burgundy-haired girl softly said, not really knowing what to expect of the quintet.

      "Listen, I am really sorry about yesterday! Normally I am not nearly that klutzy!" Makoto explained. 'Usagi definitely must be rubbing off on me!'

      "It's okay. All is forgiven," The girl smiled. "Hey, aren't you in one of my classes? Psychology I believe?" she questioned of Hotaru.

      "Yes, I am. My name is Tomoe Hotaru, and these are my friends, Tsukino Usagi, Mizuno Ami, Aino Minako, and Kino Makoto."

      "Hi, My name is Doubre Deidera. It's nice to meet all of you." 

      The five girls noted that she had long, curly, burgundy hair that fell to her waist with a thin braid of hair crowning her head. She also had very striking, jade green eyes that shone in the sunlight. Deidera seemed friendly enough but was a little drawn back. 

      Suddenly, a loud piercing scream rang out from a few blocks down. 

      "Oh no! That sounds like Rei!" Ami exclaimed, as she looked at her friends who nodded in agreement.

      "Um, it was nice to meet you too, Deidera, but we really must go or we'll be late for study group! Bye!" Makoto quickly said, racing off with the others to henshin. 

      Deidera stared after them in bewilderment. "Odd, I wonder why they must leave so quickly?" she softly said before continuing on her way. "Oh well. At least they seemed nice…..a little strange though."

*~*~*~*

     Rei screamed again as she raced down the street and to the shrine as the Satyr chased after her. 

      'I have to gain some time so I can henshin!' She thought, trying earnestly to run faster. "Oh no!" the dark-haired girl yelled out as its arm extended and wrapped around her waist. 

      "Enough of these foolish games! Give me your brain force!" ordered the green-haired, gold glowing monster that looked like a female version of a centaur. 

      "Centaura! You idiot! That is not what we came for!" Chimaera yelled looking rather irritated from the tree she was hiding in. "What an incompetent demon I have created," she said as she gritted her teeth, pounding her fist on the tree. 'Come on, that girl must be here somewhere; we just must wait a little longer.'

       "Rei, need a hand?!" Sailor Uranus shouted as she parked the car along the side of road as Pluto and Neptune leaped out. 

      "Who are you?" the Satyr asked, staring quizically at the three new comers who struck a pose.

      The dirty blonde-haired girl smirked and shouted, "From the heavenly planet of Uranus, I am Sailor Uranus!"

      "From Neptune, the planet of the oceans, Sailor Neptune is my name!" the aqua-haired senshi smiled.

      The eldest of the group twirled her staff and said, "From the time space planet of Pluto, Sailor Pluto!"

      "Space Sword Blaster!" Uranus yelled as she charged at the Satyr whose grip on Rei broke allowing the senshi of Mars seconds to dodge away from the attack. Unfortunately, Centaura managed to avoid Uranus's sword as well. 

      "Submarine Reflection!" the aqua-haired woman shouted as she shone her mirror towards Centaura who disappeared then reappeared free of harm, as she laughed at the girl.

      "Huh? How did she do that?!" Neptune abruptly shouted, looking amazed at the disappearing trick the satyr preformed.

      "My turn!" The satyr cried out, glowing a brighter golden color as she threw exploding discuses at the three women who managed to avoid the first few but consequently were not so lucky with the last six, throwing them painfully to the ground.

      Pluto slowly rose to her feet and twirled her time key to avoid the rest of the approaching discuses before she whispered, "Dead Scream," using her attack on the Satyr.

       While this occurred, Rei found ample time to locate her henshin wand which she accidentally dropped while being chased and transformed into Sailor Mars just as the others arrived.

      "Mars! Are you okay?!" Eternal Sailor Moon asked, as she looked concerned for her friend.

      "Yes, but we better help Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. That enemy is really strong!"

      The girls nodded as they raced off to help their friends.

      "Hold it right there! I am Sailor Moon!"

      "Sailor Venus!"

      "Sailor Mars!"

      "Sailor Mercury!"

      "Sailor Jupiter!"

      "And Sailor Saturn!"

      "And on behalf of our planets and the moon. We will punish you!" they chorused when suddenly Centaura shot out six large spears at the sailor senshi who tried to avoid them, unfortunately, they were unsuccessful. 

      "Ow, you'll pay for that! Fire Sniper!" Sailor Mars attacked but the Satyr's discuses reflected the fire senshi's attack back at her.

      "Oh no! Aqua Rhapsody!" Mercury shouted as she used her attack to douse Mars's before it could do any harm to them.

      "Let me try! Oak Evolution!" Jupiter cried out as vines came straight at Centaura who simply dodged the attack. 

      "I am growing very bored," She yawned.

      "Hey! Love and Beauty Shock!" Venus yelled out.

      But this attack too, reflected back to the Sailor Senshi. "Silence Wall!" Saturn quickly shouted as Venus's attack came straight at them but luckily was able to bounce off of Sailor Saturn's Wall, thanks to her quick thinking. 

      "Nothing is working!" Venus said as fear shone in her blue eyes.

      "What are we going to do?" Neptune said remorsefully. "We can't defeat it!"

      "Hahahaha! You pathetic sailor brats cannot stop me!" Centaura cackled as she spied her first victim. "Now, I need to gain some energy and she shall do perfectly," she said and she slowly approached the newcomer who stared in shock at the creature.

      The sailor senshi turned to see exactly what had caught the demon's attention. "Oh no! Run, Deidera! Run!" Saturn shouted out as the others started yelling at her to go as well.

      "We must do something! That creature is going to hurt or possibly kill her!" Mercury worriedly said.

      "Yeah, but what can we do? None of our powers work!" Jupiter reminded them.

      "I haven't tried mine yet," Eternal Sailor Moon said but the others shook their heads. 

      "It may not work though, and what happens if it's reflected back to us? I don't even know if my Silence Wall can hold it back," Saturn said with urgency in her voice. 

      Deidera finally glanced up to see a huge centaur-like woman smirking in her face. The poor girl froze as fear began to take over. "What...who... are you?!" she managed to stutter as the demon came closer. "Did I miss a parade or something?"

      The demon sneered as she stalked even closer.

      "Stay away from me! I don't know what you are or why you look that way, but keep away!" the burgundy-haired girl yelled as she dropped her books and stared in horror at the monster. 

      "Nonsense, girl. All I need is your brain force so I can turn you into a mindless servant,"  Centaura fiendishly grinned as she reached out for Deidera. 

      In the back of her mind she could the Sailor Senshi racing towards her, yelling for her to run, but she was frozen and couldn't seem to move a muscle. 'my brain force? What the hell has this thing been sniffing?'

      "You are mine," the satyr sneered as Deidera began to scream. 

*~*~*~*

Author's Note: This is has officially been revised continue on to discover Deidera's fate.


	3. The Two-Faced Soldier

A Double-Edged Sword Part Three

The Two-Faced Soldier

By

Sailor Janus

       "Foolish girl. You will not escape from me!" Centaura cackled, grabbing Deidera by the throat as she continued to scream. "Soon it will be all over for you."

       "DEIDERA!" the sailor senshi cried out, running as fast as they could. It almost felt like everything soon was in slow motion. They knew they couldn't reach her in time and if they tried to attack, they would either hit the burgundy-haired girl possibly hurting or killing her or the attacks would reflect off the Satyr, possibly injuring themselves if they were not able to react quick enough. 

       Unfortunately for the sailor senshi, Centaura did notice that they were quickly approaching, and shot off a bunch of spears and discuses in their direction. "Hahaha! That should keep them busy. Now where were we? Oh yes, soon it shall be over!"

       The girl oddly  became silent, staring intensely at the demon that was choking her, but she no longer seemed afraid as another force took over. The world around her became eerily quiet as Deidera closed her eyes. Centaura looked quizzically at the girl when suddenly an odd burgundy colored symbol shone on her forehead.

      "No, she can't be," Sailor Neptune softly said as she and the others dodged the attacks before they slowed their pace, and turned, watching at the girl held in the monster's clutches.      

      "What? What's wrong, Neptune?" Venus asked, but her question was soon to be answered.

      Quickly, Deidera released herself from the centaur's grip and backed away as a transformation pen appeared in front her. Almost mechanically, she took it and yelled, "Janus Planet Power!" Suddenly she was bathed in a fog of burgundy, black, silver, and gold lights, and transforming into a sailor senshi uniform consisting of a burgundy skirt with a hunter green bow,  a white body suit  with a hunter green bow and burgundy colorings and short ankle-length, burgundy boots, ending in a pose.

      'Somehow, this is so familiar. It feels like I've finally come home,' she thought as she completed transformation.

      "From beyond the realms of this solar system, and the guardian of the gate of this universe, I am Sailor Janus!" 

      Chimaera was still watching in the tree and smiled. "Well, I finally have what I came for. I guess I shall release my power over the Satyr since she is no longer of use to me. Until we met again." With that, the golden glow from the Satyr disappeared just as Janus prepared her attack.

      With a few spins she brought her hands together and separated them to where one silver and one gold miniature tornado sat upon each hand. "Spiral Twisters!" she shouted as she pushed her hands away, forcing the two tornados together, destroying their new enemy in a cloud of dust.     

      "Wow! You actually defeated it!" Venus exclaimed as she and the others raced up to the new senshi.

      "Not really. There was a powerfully energy force over it. Somehow it disappeared," Janus shrugged.

       "So you're a sailor senshi!" Jupiter exclaimed.

       As the inner senshi and Saturn crowded around the newest sailor soldier, the rest of outer senshi glared at the new girl as they recalled the events of the Silver Millennium. 

      "I knew, I remembered you from somewhere!" Uranus exclaimed angrily. "You should never have come. Leave now!"

      "Uranus, what's wrong? Who is she?" Eternal Sailor Moon asked confused.

      "She is Sailor Janus, from the planet Janus, which is on the outskirts of Pluto. No one really knows of the planet's existence. The two-faced soldier and the reason why Queen Metallia in Beryl's body invaded and destroyed the moon kingdom. If it wasn't for her, none of the tragedies which occurred during the Silver Millennium would have occured and we would still be at peace," Neptune explained as she stared at the burgundy-haired girl who looked like she wanted the earth the swallow her.

      "Wait, I don't understand. How was it her fault?" Jupiter asked appearing very puzzled.

      "Simply, because she is the guardian of the realms of the solar system. Sailor Janus is to guard the gates and protect the solar system from intruders. However she failed her duty and let Queen Metallia in!" Sailor Pluto bitterly said.

      "There has to be a logical reason for what had happened! A sailor senshi would not turn her back on her friends or her duty for that matter!" Mercury proclaimed. 

      "She is two-faced and that is the end of it. Leave now, Janus! You are of no use to us nor will you ever be!" Uranus said while glaring at the girl. 

      "You are nothing but trouble, and nothing more," Neptune added as she crossed her arms. 

      Janus bit her lip as she looked at who she was hoping would be her friends, but realized that it could never be. They all hated her and wanted nothing to do with her.

      "But she is still one of us! How do you know anyway that it wasn't really her fault?" Sailor Mars argued as she tried to defend the new sailor senshi.

      "Right! We all fight for the same cause!" Venus exclaimed.

      "She failed her duties and therefore failed all of us! Don't be fooled by her mere innocent act. She is devious and only cares about herself!" Pluto firmly stated, holding her time staff steady.

      "But maybe she changed!" the blonde sailor soldier of love argued.

      "A two-faced sailor never changes, she will stab you in the back if you are not careful. You better listen to us. She is not needed," Neptune stated, firmly standing her ground, trying to reason with the others.

      "I refuse to believe that," Sailor Saturn quietly but firmly said.

      Uranus looked at the girl that Neptune, Pluto, and herself helped temporarily raise when she was reborn. "Saturn! Don't be a fool! She is not a friend, she is a liar and can't be trusted!" 

      Saturn looked at Sailor Uranus and then at the other senshi. "We do not know what has happened or what is going to happen. Remember when you wanted me dead for fear that I was going to destroy the world? She has to be here for some reason and perhaps we really do need the extra help. Let's at least give her a chance to speak for herself!" 

      There was complete silence for a moment as they looked at the sailor soldier dressed in burgundy standing quietly as what seemed to be her trial continued on. 

      "Janus, can you tell us, what had happened? And you, three, quiet and let her speak!" Tuxedo Kamen sternly said as he came out of the shadows hoping that the new girl would bring some light to the situation.

       "Tuxedo Kamen! Wow, we didn't even know you were back in town!" Eternal Sailor Moon exclaimed as she ran up to her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around him.

       "Shh, Sailor Moon. Go on now, Janus," the tuxedo clad man said.

      Taking a deep breath, Janus glanced down at the ground for a brief moment before looking back at the others to explain her story. "I was the princess of Janus, and yes, it was my duty to guard the gates of the solar system just as Pluto guards the gates of time. During the Silver Millennium, Queen Metallia tricked me. She fooled me by posing as my mother. She really did look like her. So I let her in. The evil laugh I heard after she was let in, I would never forget. She called me a foolish girl. I used every ounce of power I had in defeating her. I couldn't, and she killed me. Then she was free to destroy my planet and the rest of the solar system."

      "HA! See, she's great a liar! She let Queen Metallia in because she didn't want to be a senshi anymore! Admit it! " Uranus shouted as she approached Janus who stepped back a few steps.

      "That is not true! I accepted my duties wholeheartedly and did them to my death! There was no bargain. There was no treason! I didn't betray you! I didn't come here for a stupid trial, I came to help because there is a new evil and you all won't be able to defeat it on your own! It's strong and I want to help. That is my mission and nothing more," Janus yelled with tears streaming from her jade green eyes. 'I can't take this anymore. I only want friendship so I don't have to be alone anymore. I only want redemption, even though it truly was not my fault, I am still filled with guilt.'

      With that last thought, Sailor Janus turned and walk away from the others with the same determined yet, sorrowful look on her face, as the rest of the Sailor Senshi stared after her, unsure of what to do or to say.

      "Janus! Don't go!" Eternal Sailor Moon shouted as she raced after the girl.

      Janus paused and looked at the leader of sailor senshi. 'Very kindhearted yet naïve, an indomitable spirit when situations get difficult, but the leader nonetheless. She still has more to learn than she thinks,' Janus decided as she turned to look at Sailor Moon. "Why, should I stay? I'm only going to be interrogated further and until you accept me for who I am and not for who you think I am. I'm just going to stay away. Good Bye, Sailor Moon." 

      With a final glance, Sailor Janus turned and walked away. No one said  else word and only watched as she disappeared into the distance. 

      "Well, we must go. Are you coming, Saturn?" Uranus announced as Neptune, Pluto, and herself  turned to leave. 

      "No, I'm going  back with the others. I live in the same town as they do now," Saturn softly said.

      "Suit yourself," Neptune said as the rest of the outer scouts left leaving only the inners and Saturn standing where an ugly fight scene took place. This one unfortunately, had nothing to do with the newest villain and her Satyr.

*~*~*~*

      "I feel so bad for her," Minako said sipping hot tea at Rei's table along with the others who did not ostracize the newest sailor senshi. 

       "I know, me too. Why did they act so awful to her? I'm sure we all made mistakes back then, but there's nothing we can do now to change it. What's past is past." Ami tried to reason as the others agreed with her.

       "Think the others will come around?" Rei asked as the room fell silent. 

       "Perhaps, but it might take some time," Hotaru quietly said. "After all, how long did it take before they accepted you five, and then of course myself?"  

       The room once again fell silent as the group drank their tea quietly with their thoughts on Deidera.     

*~*~*~*    

       Lord Cacus's dwellings were silent as usual which he particularly preferred. 

       He continued to gaze at the crystal-like ball as if there were something particularly fascinating about it. Just then Chimaera entered the room.               

       "Did you find her?" Lord Cacus asked sounding unusually interested.

       Chimaera was a little taken back by his urgent tone, but nodded, "Yes, we have found her. Should I send the others now?"

       "No, no, not yet. Timing is everything after all, Chimaera. When the moment is right, we shall be ready. Thank you for the news. You may leave now." 

       "Of course, my Lord." She slightly bowed her head and left the room. 'What is it about that silly girl that he is fascinated about?! No matter, at least as soon as we have her, I won't have to do so much of the dirty work anymore.'

*~*~*~*

To be Continued


	4. Death of a Poet

A Double Edged Sword Part 4

Death of a Poet

                                                                                                by

                                                                                         Sailor Janus

Disclaimer: Everything in this story is property of Naoko Takeuchi except Janus/Deidra and the villains unless she wants them.

*~*~*~*

       Deidera transformed herself back into her normal clothes and slowly walked home. "Why is it whenever something happens that might possibly be good, turns out so wrong?" she quietly said to herself. "At least I have more material for my poems."

       The wind gently blew her hair off her face almost as if it were trying to comfort the girl. "No one seems to understand me or for that matter give me the chance," she continued on as if she were making up some great monologue for a play. 

       Suddenly for some reason she giggled then continued her monologue without missing a beat, "Everyone seems to be caught up in his or her own little worlds to even realize that I exist. Of course when they finally do, everything turns all bad and I'm left to clean up the mess."

       Deidera soon found herself approaching a park and decided to stop there and write some poetry before her inspiration left her. Finding a nice shady spot under a tree, she took out her notebook and pen, and then started scribbling words on paper. 

_Cracked. Like the mirror your little world exists in. Broken. My dreams that you would finally see reality. Drowning. In my sorrows bringing my death. Hope. That you would come and rescue me. Crying. As tears fall from my face. Death. A peace silent calm. _

       Deidera glanced up as if a trance had been broken. The girl sat quietly and almost motionless as if a deep peace had overcome her. Not a thought was in her head as she stared out into space. 

       Unfortunately, she never did realize that this calm, peaceful feeling was the result of Hypnosia, a Satyr that Chimaera had created.

       Laughing, Hypnosia said in a hypnotic tone as she brought her hand to the top of Deidera's head. "Waves of calm may over take you now, but soon the pain of a rose's thorn will pierce your head, drawing you within. They shall be quite pleased."

       Deidera continued to stare into thin air as Hypnosia ripped off the girl's bracelet followed by her gold one. "You won't be needing these anymore."

       Slowly Hypnosia took her hand off the girl's head and slowly began to fade away. "You shall remember none of this. Until we meet again."

       A few seconds later Deidera finally blinked. Absent-mindedly she glanced around as if she was someplace rather unfamiliar. Oddly, it felt like something was missing to her, but soon that feeling left as she climbed to her feet and started walking home. "Hmm, I guess I was more involved in my poem than I thought. Oh well."

*****

       "I can't believe that they wouldn't listen to us!" Michiru exclaimed from the passenger seat of Haruka's car as she gracefully pushed the aqua hair from her eyes.

       "They'll just have to find out the hard way. Hopefully not before it's too late," the tall blond said as she turned a corner. "What's wrong, Setsuna?" she questioned the green haired woman who looked rather troubled.

       "I don't know. This all seems too familiar concerning what happened with Hotaru. What if we are wrong again and Janus is not as bad as we remember her to be?" Setsuna tensely answered as her hair blew in the breeze.

       "But she destroyed the Silver Millennium for crying out loud! She doesn't deserve to remain one of us!" Haruka argued, pressing her foot harder on the gas pedal.

        "True, but if she is correct and really was fooled by an illusion. We may be doing more harm than good." 

       "Why don't we hold back a bit and see what happens?" Michiru suggested hoping to bring peace to their situation as well as cease the building argument. "This way we can observe what is going on with Janus without alarming or angering the others."

       "Perhaps, that would be a good idea," the senshi of Pluto agreed nodding her head, "At least that way if trouble does arise, we can still try to stop it." 

       With that settled, The three women rode back to their mansion in silence, each considering what the true intention of Janus could be.

*~*~*~*

       'Ow, My head really hurts!' Deidera thought has she as she walked into her room. 

       It was rather unique with a gold and silver ornate mirror, fans, and other decorations upon the walls. Most of the furniture had an antique style to it bathed in rich colors of both red and white wine. 

       Slowly she walked to the bathroom and found a bottle of aspirin, quickly taking two and then washed them down with a glass of water before retreating to her bedroom. 

       Carefully she sat down on her soft bed and covered her face with her hands trying to will the pounding in her head to cease. 

       Before she knew it, she had curled up into a little ball and had fallen asleep.

*~*~*~*

       "You guys are not paying attention!" Ami exclaimed as she tried to help her friends with their newest math problems, which were assigned for homework. Makoto was drawing little pictures in her notebook; Minako was reading a comic book while Usagi was snoring with her face down on the table. Rei was the only one who was actually using the time for studying. Of course she went to a different school than the others and didn't really need Ami's help.

       Frustrated, Ami picked up a big dictionary and slammed it on the table, startling the inattentive group. After everyone was done screaming from either being rudely awakened or frightened by the loud noise, she calmly asked, "All right, is everyone ready now, or do I have to drop an even bigger book on the table?"

       "Just please don't break the table, Ami! I don't have enough money to buy a new one!" Rei said to friend as she pointed out the fact, that the table could possible collapse. 

       "But I was having the best dream!" Usagi whined with tears running from her eyes. "It was about-"

       "If you dare say Mamoru, I'll drop that book on your head!" Rei said as she abruptly stood up. 

       "Okay! Let's get back to studying!" Makoto said with a grin hoping they could avoid the upcoming temper-tantrum that due any second.

       "Yeah! I want to learn more about leaner equations!" Minako giggled as she joined Makoto. 

       "That's linear equations, Minako," Ami corrected the blonde haired girl.

       "Oh, heh heh, so it is!" 

       Suddenly the sound of a door being pushed wide open startled the girls who quickly turned around only to find, Deidera with an extremely large box.

       "Deidera! What are you doing here?" Rei asked as she stared at the girl. 'I don't remember telling her where I live. Not to mention, I just met her a few hours ago.'

       "Hey everyone! I just came here to give you guys some cookies that I made!" the burgundy-haired teen said giddily.

       "Wow Cookies?!" Minako and Usagi exclaimed as the girl nodded and took out a huge plateful of cookies. Everyone's jaws dropped as they stared at the huge pile.

       "Um, not to be rude but how many did you make?" Makoto asked as she stared at the massive pile of baked goods.

       "Oh, not too many. Just 55 dozen. I didn't know what types you guys liked so I baked a few of each type!" Deidera giggled.

       "Wait, that's...that's 660 cookies!" Ami exclaimed.

       "660 COOKIES!" the others shouted in response to Ami's calculations and the fact that Deidera actually baked that many cookies.

       "Oops! So it is! Oh well, enjoy!" Deidera shrugged as she grinned at the girls who glanced at each other not sure what to make of the new girl. "Go on! Try one! They won't bite you!" she insisted.

       After exchanging glances, the five girls shrugged and each took a cookie.

       "Wow! These are good!" Usagi said with her mouthful.

       Ami tried one and commented, "Quite good. You're a great baker!"

       "Yeah!" Minako grinned.

       "Mmmm. Incredible cookies, Deidera!" Rei said as she took another bite.

       "Hey! These are actually better than mine!" Makoto exclaimed as she looked at the girl. "But don't you think 660 cookies is a little much?"

       "Well, I don't think so but anyway they are all for you guys!" Deidera smiled as she carefully set the large plate down on the table. "Oh and don't forget, I'm gonna treat you all to breakfast at the cafe. Hmm, maybe lunch too.... Oh! And dinner and dessert as well! Anyway, I must go now! Bye!" the burgundy haired girl said as she practically bounced out of the room.

       "Wow, is she actually going to do all of that?" Minako asked bewildered as she reached for another cookie.

       "I don't know, but that is rather much, don't you think?" Makoto said as she flipped her ponytail off her shoulder.

       "I agree. I suppose she just wants to fit in so she is basically doing favors and giving gifts so we like her better. Although I have to admit, she is going into the extreme," Ami nodded her head as she explained her theory on why Deidera acted the way she did.

       "It does make sense." Rei replied as Luna and Artemis ran into the room. "Hey! What's wrong?"

       "Is it possible to be hugged to death?" Artemis said as dropped to the floor panting.

       "What happened?" Minako asked as she gently picked up the white cat. 

       "Some girl on the street who appeared to have come from this direction found us and practically hugged and petted us to death!" Luna explained.

       "Who was it?" Usagi asked as she approached the black cat.

       "I don't know! Some girl with curly burgundy hair. She was skipping down the street practically singing at the top of her lungs when she found us and said we were so adorable or something."

       "DEIDERA!" the girls exclaimed as they came to realization of the cats' so-called attacker.

       "Well, maybe she didn't realize that she was being so rough," Makoto shrugged.

       "Makoto could be right. She does tend to do things to the uh, extreme," Ami said a she pointed out the cookies.

       "Good grief! Who made all of those! That's practically a mountain of cookies!" Artemis burst out as he stared in shock at the massive pile of baked goods.

       "Your attacker did. She's actually a new sailor senshi. Sailor Janus I believe her name is. She seems nice, although Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna all seem to have something against her. They called her two-faced for some reason," the dark haired girl told the cats as the other girls nodded.

       "Right. They said she was reason why the Silver Millennium fell. Her duty was to guard the gate of the solar system and that she committed treason," Ami added.

       "Sailor Janus? I don't think I remember a Sailor Janus," Luna said as she glanced at Artemis who only shock his head.

       "I can't seem recall her either. Or her planet for that matter," Artemis replied.

       "Well, Michiru did say barely anyone knew of the planet's existence so that might be the reason that none of us can remember her," Minako shrugged.

       They five girls and two cats continued to ponder on about Deidera, what occurred in the Silver Millennium and why the girl was acting so strangely.

*~*~*~*

            A light twitter of birds and the cool breeze shook Deidera out of a sound slumber. Dazedly, she blinked in confusion at her whereabouts. 'Where am I?' she thought as looked at her surroundings. "Ow, my head still hurts. How did I get outside?" she murmured as she leaned against the brick building she was next to, trying to gain her balance since she was feeling oddly dizzy.   

       Slowly she stood up and began walking down the street, unsure of the way home. 

       Suddenly the world felt like it was spinning as she put her hand against the wall and closed her eyes. Upon opening them, her composure seemed to change.

       Deidera no longer appeared to dizzy or even concerned for her location. Instead she confidently she walked down the street, pushing past people on her way.

*~*~*~*


	5. Split Personalities

A Double Edged Sword Part Five

Split Personalities

by

Sailor Janus

Disclaimer: Everything in this story is property of Naoko Takeuchi except Janus/Deidra and the villains unless she wants them.

*~*~*~*

       "BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP"

       Deidera groaned as she rolled over and shut off her alarm clock. Slowly she sat up she and suddenly cringed with the realization that her head was pounding even worse than the previous night. 

       Burying her face in her hands she slowly rocked back and forth, pleading for the pain to go away. 'Oh this is just going to be one of those days,' she thought disgustedly. "Well, can't be late. Nope don't want that, or the teacher will have me flogged," Deidera sarcastically said to herself as she climbed out of bed and then froze. "Wait, I don't even remember getting home.... must be the headache." 

       Without a second thought, she carefully walked to her bathroom for more aspirin before  beginning the task of preparing for school.

*~*~*~*

       Somehow Deidera managed to make her way to school and even 20 minutes early at that. Deciding that perhaps she'd feel better with some fresh air, the burgundy haired girl found a seat under a tree and took out her notebook and began writing. 

       You mock me. Twisting our love and turning it into a game.  Am I not your princess? No, I'm nothing more than an animal, a trophy that you only want to hunt down and then preserve even if it means ripping out my soul and sealing my doom. 

       Deidera winced in pain as she dropped her pen in her notebook then closed her eyes, slowly opening them again and stared at ground for a brief moment when she suddenly heard a voice.

         "Hi Deidera!" Minako called out cheerfully as she ran up to burgundy haired girl. The girls all agreed to be friendly to the new sailor senshi, deciding on the fact that she probably acted the way she did because she was lonely and had difficulty making friends. The facts on the past and Silver Millennium were not a concern to them yet.

       "Oh, it's you. Here to brightly bounce in a new day?" Deidera dryly said as she looked up from where she was sitting on the ground.

      "What do you mean?" the usually perky blonde said as she slowed to a stop.

      "You know, 'Hi, I'm Miss Sunshine, here to brighten your day!' It gets really old, really fast," Deidera shrugged at the girl who looked like she was going to either yell at her or break down crying. 

      "You don't have to be so mean and insult me!" 

      "Well, I guess you have something new for your diary. 'Dear diary, I really do not make people as happy as I thought.' And another thought, what's with you representing love and beauty when you lack both?" the senshi of Janus bluntly added as she stared at the girl.

      Minako's face started to turn bright red as she stomped off.

      "Wait Minako! I thought we could have some tea after school! My treat! Then we can giggle about boys and comics! I even have the newest Sailor V comic! I'll even give it to you if you want!" Deidera called out with a giggle. "Hmm, guess she doesn't like tea." 

      "Hello Deidera. What's wrong with Minako?" Ami asked with a smile as she walked up to Deidera who was staring at the ground once again.

      "Oh nothing, I guess she finally got a clue." 

      "What are you talking about 'She got a clue?" Ami asked as she looked perplexed at the younger girl.

      "Oh you know, a clue. Just like you need one about how boring you actually are." Deidera shrugged again.

      "WHAT?!"

      "Yeah, I mean, do you think studying every single second is the only way to get through life? There are still many chances to fail in the future. Even if you are the smartest person in the world, which you aren't."

      Ami's eyes filled with tears as she ran off.

      Deidera blinked as Ami left, "Huh? Ami? Where are you going? What's wrong?" she cried out as she saw blue haired girl running away from her. "Hmm, that's odd." 

       'Oh I wish this headache would go away already! It seems to get worse and worse. Constantly pounding and pounding and pounding,' Deidera thought as she brought her head down on her hand.

       "Hey Deidera!" Makoto shouted to the girl who was leaning on her hand. 

      "Hi, Makoto."

      "Hey, you didn't meet us at the cafe. I thought you said you were gonna treat everyone to breakfast...and lunch.... and dinner...and even dessert now that I think of it which is really nice but you don't have to," the brunette said as scratched her head and sat down next to the burgundy haired girl.

      "I did? I don't remember saying that," Deidra said, as she looked very confused. 'When did I ever say that?' she thought.

      "Yeah, you said all that yesterday after you showed up at Rei's with 55 dozen cookies which might I add, was a little much but that is just my opinion. Well, at least Usagi and Minako didn't mind," Makoto explained.

      "I showed up at Rei's and I baked?! Wait, I can't even make toast without burning it!"      

      "Yeah, and wow were you hyper and perky! You were even more so than Minako!" Makoto laughed.

      "I was perky? I'm never perky!" Deidera stated as she looked at the tall girl. "And I don't recall being at Rei's either. Are you sure you don't have me confused with someone else?"

      "No it was you! I'm sure of it. Geez, either you have a really bad memory or you really are a pathological liar!" Makoto said as she got up from the ground and dusted her skirt off.

      "I am not a pathological liar!" Deidera shouted looking angry.

      "Whatever, catch you later." Makoto said as she walked off. 

      "What is going on here?! Why is everyone acting so strange! And why won't this pounding stop!"

      "Hi Deidera." Hotaru softly greeted as she walked up to the girl who appeared to be rather enraged. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

      'Oh no, please not again. Three angry people are all I can take!' Deidera looked wide-eyed at the petite girl as she backed away and slowly got to her feet. "I-I don't know! Just- just stay away from me!" Quickly she turned to run away from the dark haired girl.

      "Deidera!" Hotaru called after her when the girl suddenly turned to face her. Her eyes strangely had a bluish tint to her normal green color.

      "Hotaru! Hey! I decided that we could have a party at my house! Yeah, so invite everyone you know and it'll be so much fun!"  Deidera said cheerfully as she bounced up and down. "Oh! I got shopping to do! I should probably buy several different kinds of chips. Think 10 different flavors are enough? No better make 15 or 20. Oh! And I better make a cheesecake and get some cool music! Oh and it'll be such a blast!" she giddily clapped her hands as she smiled.

      "Deidera? A party? And on a school night? What is with you?" Hotaru asked confusedly.

      "What? Can't a girl have some fun!" the burgundy haired girl giggled.

      "But why a party? I thought you said you would never have one because they are too messy after all that is what you said in the debate on parties yesterday in class."

      Deidera stared at the shorter haired girl for a brief minute.

      "Deidera?"

      "And what makes you think I am going to have a party, not to mention why should I invite you?" the girl coldly said as she looked down at Hotaru. "You are too boring with your stupid obsession with lamps not to mention your choice of friends and clothes!"

      "But I thought you liked my lamps and my clothes! Why are you saying all of this?" Hotaru asked in a state of shock. 'What is wrong with her? She never acted like this before.' 

      "Ha! I was just making it up. Now get out of my way! You're such a waste of space." Deidera dryly said as she pushed past Hotaru, almost knocking the girl to the ground. 

      "That was strange." Hotaru said as she watched the girl push past the other students and then suddenly paused before she continued walking to class normally but oddly, she seemed to have difficulty keeping her balance. 

      "Hotaru. Hotaru."

      "Huh?" the girl said as she looked at who was talking to her. It was Usagi.

      "Hey, is something wrong?" the blonde asked.

      "I don't know, but I suspect that there might possibly be. I think we need to have a meeting after school."

      "Do you think we should invite Deidera? She is one of us after all." Usagi asked thinking about the new sailor senshi.

      "No, this concerns Deidera." Hotaru simply said as she shook her head. "We need to have everyone but her at the meeting. There is something strange about her, but I can't seem to figure out what it is."

      Suddenly loud screams were heard as the students raced to see what the commotion was. Usagi and Hotaru exchanged glances before they ran to  the site of the panic.

      When they finally pushed through the crowd they were shocked to find the screaming was coming from Deidera. 

      The poor girl was lying on the ground, clutching her head while screaming and sobbing. She appeared to be in much pain.

      "What's going on?" Makoto asked as Minako, Ami, and herself raced up to Usagi and Hotaru only to gaze down at Deidera in worry, confusion and pity. 

      Suddenly, several teachers ran out to find the source of the screaming. One ran back in the school to call for medical assistance while the other, Miss Leona raced over to try and help calm Deidera. Unfortunately she appeared to be very inattentive to the woman who tried to consol her and continued to wail hysterically on the sidewalk. Other teachers soon rushed out of the building and tried to help other students, who appeared rather shocked by cries coming from the girl, to move on. After a few failed attempts to clear everyone from site, the principal finally ordered the other students to leave the premises immediately or they will have detention.

       Quietly, Usagi, Makoto, Ami, Minako, and Hotaru left the newest sailor senshi on the ground as she continued to shriek in pain, deciding there was nothing they could do there and entered the school building, walking slowly down the sparsely filled hallways.

      "Meeting after school?" Hotaru softly said as they approached an abandoned corner of the building.

      The others nodded in agreement as the soldier of destruction contacted the rest of sailor senshi.

*~*~*~*

       "Haruka! Did you hear about-" Michiru called out as she hurried to the tall blonde woman's room and walked in only to find her sitting quietly on the floor in what appeared to be in deep thought as she tensed her face. "The meeting." Michiru finished as she sat next to Haruka. "What is it?"

       "We should have realized it sooner."

       "Realized what? Haruka?" the aqua haired woman asked, as she looked confused.

       "That this is probably because of our newest enemy! Why didn't we figure it out in the first place! It's happening all over again! We are wrong once more just like that whole thing with Hotaru!" Haruka shouted with frustration in her voice.

       "This is not like with Hotaru! This is nothing like with Hotaru! We didn't know-"

       "Exactly!" the blonde said as she abruptly stood up. " We don't know! We don't know anything! We are really slipping this time!" She stomped out of the room as Michiru scrambled to her feet to go after the furious woman.

       "Slipping? What do you mean?!"

       Haruka turned quickly and practically got in Michiru's face and she stated in a very harsh tone, "We. Are. Slipping! We know nothing about the new enemy. Nothing about its intentions. Who it is. What it wants or even how to stop it! Our powers don't even work for crying out loud!"

       "Haruka, calm down! We'll figure something out."

       "HA! We are worthless and there is nothing we can do about it! We couldn't even defeat that last monster. Janus had to do it for us! All our attacks bounced off it like a freaking pinball machine!" Haruka said as she threw her hands in the air practically going hysterical and Michiru helplessly trailed after her.

       "Haruka, we'll figure something out. Don't worry."

       "Yeah, right! We are finished. Face it, Michiru!" 

       "Haruka, calm down, now!" Setsuna softly ordered as she entered the room.

       The enraged woman glanced up at the older woman then turned away. She didn't feel like hearing a lecture from the almighty elder of the sailor senshi. 

       "I know how upset you all are because of the turn of events which are occurring at the moment, but we cannot lose control over this!" Setsuna explained, as she looked the other two in the eye. "We may not be able to change what has already happened but we can try to correct it."

       "HOW?!" Haruka shouted as she threw her hands in the air. "You are forgetting one thing, Setsuna. None of our powers work! Remember?! We might as well just give up. It's over. Completely over. We are finished."

       "Haruka, we are not even close to being finished yet. We just need to gain access to more power that we probably didn't even know existed," the green haired woman said sternly.

       "Maybe that's why Janus came. Maybe she is the one that will help us find this new power." Michiru said, hoping Haruka would cool down before she went on a real frenzy. "Think maybe we should join the others at the hospital?"

       "It's worth a try. I'm just hoping that Deidera is okay. From what Hotaru explained, she seemed quite hysterical and in a lot of pain." Setsuna softly said. 'Why would a thing like that happen? It just doesn't make sense. Either there is something terribly wrong with her that has nothing to do with our new enemy or they did this to her. But why?' she thought as she stared out the window.

       "I guess it's worth a try to see if she might know what is going on. I'll grab my car keys," Haruka said as she left the room to fetch her keys.

       Soon the three women departed the mansion for what seemed to be a rather long trip to the hospital.     


	6. Remember Me

A Double Edged Sword Part 6

Remember Me

By

Sailor Janus

As the three elder outer sailor senshi drove quickly to the hospital for the meeting, Usagi, Minako, Makoto, and Hotaru successfully convinced Ami to skip the rest of school with them and were now running as fast as the could on foot. Luckily, Mamoru spotted them on his way to work

"What's wrong? Shouldn't you girls be in school?" he asked with a look of concern in his blue eyes.

Minako winced and bent over, trying to catch her breath. Ami did the same as  Hotaru leaned against Makoto, trying to regain her composure as she heavily panted. "Hos…pit…al."

The brunette nodded and took a few breaths before she gasped, "Going…. to…. Hospital."

"Take….. us?" Usagi asked, also out of breath, stumbling over to the car, doing her best exhausted puppy dog eyes.

Mamoru's face tensed as he looked at the five girls. "Alright. Climb in."

The girls happily obliged and quickly jumped into the sports car. Usagi sat in the front seat as the other four crammed into the back. Ami explained to Mamoru the strange situations concerning Deidera and why they needed to go to the hospital. It wasn't until long that they arrived at their destination.  

*~*~*~*

  Rei was already in the waiting room awaiting everyone's arrival. The outers were the next of the group to enter the building. They glanced at her and nodded their heads then chose a place to either sit or stand.

Finally the rest of girls and Mamoru arrived, Usagi was clutching to him as the other girls walked on ahead. Everyone was completely silent. They really had no idea what to say. They did not understand what was going on and wished they did. Here was a new sailor senshi whom had some awful rumors spread about her past whether they were true or not was still unknown. Strangely she then went from being perfectly normal to having extreme mood swings ending with what appeared to be mass hysteria. 

            "Something just doesn't add up," Rei said, breaking the silence.

            "What?" Minako asked, relieved that someone was finally talking. She smiled lightly and took a seat near the magazine rack.

            "What happened to Deidera. When we met her that day when she became Sailor Janus, she appeared normal. Now this? It doesn't make sense!"

            The green haired woman thought about the Silver Millennium for a moment. Although it was difficult to try to recall what Janus was like then, which accounts for her present self she didn't remember her as being crazy.

            Hotaru just sat against the wall biting her lip. 'Why is it whenever I can make a friend something always goes wrong?!' Chibi Usa was still in her own time in Crystal Tokyo where she was now learning to act like a princess and future queen. Her training was now over and once again, Hotaru found herself lacking a best friend. It wasn't that she couldn't live without a friend but that she was alone so much that she always wanted someone her own age that she could relate to. Sometimes it was hard being the youngest of the group.

            Just then a nurse with her dark hair swept up into a neat bun walked up to the group. "Are you friends of Miss Doubre's?" 

            The senshi stared at her in confusion and blinked wondering if she got the wrong people.

            The nurse then realized that they didn't understand her so she said the full name this time. "Miss Deidera Doubre, I mean." 

            Um, yes we are." Usagi answered as the other nodded their heads in agreement.

            I guess I mispronounced the name. Please follow me."

*~*~*~*

Deidera was found in the psychiatric ward. No matter what the doctors did for her, she seemed to stay in constant pain. Even when she received the highest recommended dosage of morphine, she continued thrash about, her teeth clenched and her face tense, as if she were enduring a never-ending nightmare. 

            "Since she has no immediate family here, we decided maybe friends visiting her might help. She has suffered from Psychiatric Trauma. We do not know the reason why though and find it rather unusual."  The doctor explained as he glanced sadly at the girl in the hospital bed. "There isn't much else we can do. I'll leave you now." And with that he turned to leave as Ami approached him and softly spoke to the tall graying man. He only said a few words and then left.

            The others looked down at Deidera as she convulsed with pain. The inner senshi and Hotaru feeling sorrowful to the girl and the outers feeling guilty for everything they had said. 

            "My mother does not seem to know what is wrong with her either. She finds it very odd." Ami said as she glanced at Deidera who seemed to oddly be calming down.

            "I wish we knew why she was acting the way she was. She was really mean!" Minako said as she recalled all the cruel things the new girl had said to her as Makoto, Ami, and Hotaru nodded in agreement. "Think that this might have caused her sudden mood swings?" 

            "I suppose it is possible. She didn't strike me as an evil person." Hotaru softly said. 

            "But how are we going to help her if we don't even know what is wrong with her?" Michiru asked slightly frustrated. 

            "Besides that, What if she really is evil?" Haruka brought up stubbornly.

            "Haruka! Deidera is-" Rei began to say before she was interrupted.

            "Neither evil nor good." Hotaru said quietly as the other looked at her with amazement.

            "What do you mean, Hotaru?" Setsuna asked.

            "Deidera is the two-faced scout correct? Could this title be the representation of the fact that she possesses every opposite there is? Night, day, fire, water, light, dark."

            "Good and Evil." Michiru finished. "It makes sense. She is not really two-faced but two-sided."

_            "You two are absolutely right."_

            Everyone quickly turned around only to find a shimmering image of Sailor Janus standing near the front wall. She had a sad smile on her face and appeared quite melancholy.

            "Janus, but how can that be? I mean you are Deidera, aren't you?" Usagi asked looking very shocked and confused as she stared at the image of the girl who was lying in the bed.

_             "Yes, Princess, I am Deidera. I can only stay for a short time to explain exactly who I am and what is happening," _the burgundy haired Sailor Senshi said as she carefully choose the words to explain the situation._ "I may represent the two sides of everything, but actually I myself, am neutral. I keep everything in harmony and without me everything would fall to pieces. For there to be light there needs to be dark. For there to be good, there needs to be evil. I am the one who keeps it all in balance. What is happening right now is the two sides are fighting to control Deidera which is driving her mad."_

            "Didn't this ever happen in the Silver Millennium though?" Makoto asked with thought.

            _"No, this is the first time she has ever experienced this. When one side is in control, she does not remember any part of it. She only remembers her true self. The neutral side to her."_

            "So that's why she didn't remember being at Rei's and her promises," the senshi of Jupiter nodded, understanding things a little more clearly.

            "And why she didn't remember all those awful things she said." Minako agreed.

            "Right. Unfortunately she is missing two pieces to herself that keeps the sides in harmony. One silver and one gold chain bracelet. Both of which resemble beautifully woven pieces of rope. She will not remember these items though but probably feels like a part of her is missing. You must bring the bracelets to her as soon as you can. Your new enemy is trying to take control of her by weakening one of her strongest elements, her mind. Please hurry, before it's too late," the image of Sailor Janus said before she faded away. "You are her only hope and once she has access to her bracelets, she will become strong once more."

            "But wait! Where can we find the bracelets?" Usagi cried out as the two-sided senshi's image slowly dissipated. 

            _"You'll know in due time."_

            The sailor senshi continued to stare at the place where Sailor Janus' image once stood, as if mesmerized. Suddenly, Deidera began to tense up once again as she began moaning in pain, snapping the girls out of their trance.

            "We must hurry. I fear there may not be much time left," Setsuna urgently said as the others nodded in agreement.

            "But where can we find the bracelets? She didn't tell us where they are at!" Minako reminded them. 

            "Maybe I can do a fire reading and that will tell us," Rei suggested. 

            The others agreed as they walked out of Deidera's room, knowing there was nothing more they could do for the poor girl until they found the two bracelets.

            "Do you think someone should keep watch of her?" Michiru thoughtfully asked as they entered the waiting room.

            "I suppose so, but-" Ami began to say as a nurse approached, interrupting the blue-haired girl.

            "Visiting hours are now over," she forcefully said. "I should not have let all of you in there to begin with but the doctor said there should be no harm in it since her ailment has not changed. Please leave now."

            "Thank you," the girls and young man murmured as they quietly walked out of the hospital.

            "She was rather rude," Makoto said as she crossed her arms. 

            The nurse stood there and watched them leave then smirked. 'Finally we can begin Phase 3 of the plan.'

            "Have they left?" a deep voice said from behind the woman. 

She smiled as she nodded, "Yes Lord Cacus, she is all yours now."

*~*~*~*

            Deidera opened her eyes and felt very lightheaded as she glanced around her small hospital room wondering where the pain had gone, before a sudden jolt hit her sending her screaming. The intense dull pain continued to pound through her head as tears fell from her eyes. 'Why won't this pain stop? What is happening to me? Please, just make it go away! '

            Suddenly she felt a hand gently stroking her forehead and her face. Wearily she glanced up only to find a man with silver and gold hair. "Who.... are you?"

            Smiling the man said, "Just call me a friend." He let his hand rest on her head as he continued to speak. "I can take the pain away if you'd like, Deidera. I will if you want me to. After all, we are old acquaintances."

            Before she was able to ask him how they knew each other, realization hit as another part of her took over. "You!" she cried out as she tried to back away. "I remember you! You were the reason I trusted that woman in the first place and let her through my gate! I trusted you and you betrayed me! You vile creature!"

            Laughing sinisterly he stood up and did a mock bow. "Lord Cacus, at your presence, dear Deidera. Or should I call you Princess Janus?" 

            "How did you know who I was?" she asked through clenched teeth as she tried to control herself from attacking him.

            "Simple. I've been tracking you ever since I had discovered that you were reborn in this world. Now, I can very easily make all the pain go away if you just do me one favor. Tell me the identities of the others."    

            "What do you mean?" Janus asked in mock innocence.

            "Don't play dumb with me! The other sailor senshi. You are my key of ridding the planet of them. Now you have two choices, either you join me in destroying them or you can simply tell me and the rest will be history."

            "And what if I refuse?" she said with a smirk on her face.

            "Oh that's quite simple," Lord Cacus answered as he snapped his fingers. Suddenly a huge rush of pain swelled into Deidera's head as she screamed out in pure agony. "I'll make the torture continue worse than ever either killing you in the process or simply driving you insane whichever happens first. Think about it." With a flash, the evil man disappeared.

            Deidera groaned as she blinked again. 'Was it only a dream? But it seemed so strangely vivid.' 

            Just then, the girl's train of thought was broken as a nurse entered the room. In a rather too cheerful voice she said, "Hello Deidera! I have something that will make you feel all better," the nurse said as she took the teen's arm and applied alcohol to it. 

            Then with a smile she sweetly said, "This shouldn't hurt too much." Quickly she took out a needle and pierced Deidera's skin injecting a strange greenish liquid as Deidera gaped at the combination of sudden pain and in shock at the green colored liquid that just entered her body. 

            The nurse then pressed a cotton ball to the new wound and then a Band-Aid to hold it in place. 

            Strangely, Deidera began to feel dazed and started to call out to the nurse when suddenly the room felt like it was spinning and everything went blurry before finally black.

*~*~*~*

            Lord Cacus sat staring at the Nerva crystal ball, from which he used to basically keep an eye on Janus once he had gained access to a lock of hair granted by Hypnosia. He seemed almost infatuated by the girl.

            Just then Chamelia walked into the room. "Good news, my Lord! The Dark Light serum has been injected into the girl," the dark haired woman gleefully said. 

       "Wonderful! Soon I can destroy those miserable sailor senshi and finally complete what I have been plotting for the last decade! Everything is falling into place perfectly and once my special key is under my control, there will be no stopping me!" The man fiendishly cackled as his minion smiled with victory in completing the task.

*~*~*~*


	7. Killer Instincts

A Double Edged Sword Part 7

Killer Instincts

By

Sailor Janus

Deidera opened her eyes and blinked. 'Something is different,' she thought as she pushed the covers away and pulled the devices off  herself. But that was her last certain thought everything else seemed almost robotic. 

       Swinging her feet to the ground she stared at the wall. Plain, white paint and nothing more could best describe it. Abruptly she stood up, went to the closet and got changed. Without a second thought she left the room. 

       "Miss Doubre! You should not be up and about with your condition," a nurse said as she chased after the girl. 

       Deidera however continued to walk down the hall, not paying the slightest bit of attention to the babbling woman as she walked out the doors of the hospital. 

*~*~*~*

       "Anything Rei?" Ami eagerly asked as her friend slowly walked outside the shrine where the others were waiting. 

       The dark haired aspiring priestess shook her head and looked forlorn at the group. "No, I can't seem to find anything. I guess we'll just have to wait and hope we come across something."

       "That bites," Makoto said leaning against the wall. "So what do we do now?"

       "Yeah, I mean, we seem to be stuck," Minako sighed wishing that things could have stayed peaceful for a while. She was finally starting to get back into volleyball and now it appeared she may have to quit again.

       "I don't know. We really don't know what we're up against which makes the situation much worse. I just wish I knew what our enemy was planning," Rei quietly said as she looked solemnly at her friends. 

       "We'll figure something out," Usagi said as she tried to cheer up her friends. Unfortunately, it didn't help. At least her boyfriend offered a little reassurance.

       "Try to be a little more optimistic girls," Mamoru said, holding his girlfriend's hand. "This type of situation has never stopped you before. You'll get through it."

       "Well, since you can't find anything, we're going home." Haruka said as she climbed to her feet from where she was sitting on the steps. Michiru and Setsuna also got up and glanced at Hotaru who was rather quiet. 

       The younger girl took one look at the three women and stared at them in disgust. She was growing tired of having to choose sides. Slowly she got to her feet and turned to the inner scouts. "I'm going for a walk," she announced as she turned her back to the others and started down the street.

       "Hotaru-" Michiru started to say when Setsuna interrupted her.

       "Just leave her be. She has a lot on her mind." 

       "Why is she so angry at us though?" the aqua haired woman asked as the senshi of Pluto shook her head.

       "For one thing, she's having a difficult enough time adjusting to being a teenager again, not to mention, that she is the youngest in her class and has not yet made any friends. I guess she thought that since she and Deidera had something in common, that they could be friends. After all, Chibi Usa is back in Crystal Tokyo, which leaves Hotaru with no one. However since we pretty much made it clear in that last battle that we did not want anything to do with Deidera, Hotaru has now determined that we are being unfair and is angry at us."

       Michiru thought in silence for a moment. "We did come to the hospital to see Deidera though. Doesn't that say anything?"

       "Actually yes. It gives Hotaru the assumption that we do not trust Deidera. She'll come around. Don't worry."

*~*~*~*

       A light breeze gently blew through Hotaru's hair. She didn't find any comfort in it though. Nothing seemed to change for her. She was still basically the baby of Sailor Senshi even though she was only two years younger than the inners but that did no good. Instead they always protected and never asked for her opinion. The outers always seemed to expect her to follow what they said like good little daughter. Hotaru deeply sighed and kicked a rock that was in the middle of the street. "Why am I either the freak or the baby? My classmates still don't like me. Never even gave an effort to get to know me. Then Deidera comes along and immediately she is the enemy when she is still one of us. Am I not allowed to have any friends? Is that it? Why do they always have to treat me like an infant! I'm a teenager again, have they forgotten or something?!" the dark haired girl sighed and felt the frustration in her begin to boil.  

       Hotaru glanced up and found herself in the park. She smiled as she recalled when she met Chibi Usa the first time as well as the first few times her father brought her there for a special treat as a child. To her surprise, however, she found Deidera sitting in the one of the swings. In curiosity she pondered how the girl was cured so quickly.

       "Deidera? Hi, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the hospital?" Hotaru said as she ran up to the girl who was sitting quietly on the swings and didn't appear to have heard what Hotaru had said. After a moment, her classmate blinked and glanced up.

       "Huh? Oh hi, Hotaru." Deidera briefly smiled as she dragged her feet on the ground. "So what are you doing here?"

       Hotaru smiled in return and decided to sit in the swing next to the burgundy haired girl. "I thought I'd go for a walk. So are you okay now?"

       "Yeah, I think so." Deidera squinted a bit as she continued as if still trying to piece things together herself. "It was really strange. I was getting these explosive headaches and then everything would go blank." She paused and frowned, running a hand through her curls. "Now that I think of it, I don't even remember checking out of the hospital. So what are you doing hanging around me anyway? I'm sure you have plenty of better things to do."  

       "Actually, I don't really any friends. I'm new here and everyone seems to think I'm weird for some reason. I don't really know why but anyway, I kinda figured that we had something in common and could be friends," Hotaru smiled, taking the other girl by surprise.

       "Friends? Why do you want me for a friend? Everyone always calls me names Like Depressing Girl or Therapy Girl, just because I write very dark stuff not to mention that they tend to call me a liar because they say I did or said something that I did not. That seems to be the norm lately," Deidera explained as she stared at the ground. "Sentenced to solitaire without even so much as a trial…. or a full deck of cards. Can't play solitaire without at least the aces. But nope. No aces in the deck they give you." 

       Hotaru snickered. "I know how you feel. No one understands me either and being the new girl doesn't help." 

       Deidera looked at Hotaru skeptically. "Why are you being so nice? Sorry if I'm being a little defensive, but you might understand why." 

       "Because I know where you're coming from. No one even gave the slightest effort to say hi or when I did, they'd turn their back on me or say something terrible about me behind my back." Hotaru explained as she cringed at recalling the past few days of school. "It's like they already have enough friends."

       Abruptly Deidera began to laugh. "I have been in several different schools in different countries and the people always seem to act the same. They just don't really care about the new kid. But I still don't understand why they ostracize you."

       Hotaru bit her lip. "Basically, it's because of my father. He used to run an academy, but it was destroyed in a lab explosion. People called him and myself creepy they stay away from us. What about you?"

       "Me? They just call me a liar and say I said or did things that I did not. They also find my poetry disturbing which at times I can agree with them, but I can't really seem to help writing. I mean, sometimes I have cheerful poems about romance, warm summer skies, and flowers, but lately, I don't know. It's just getting dark," Deidera said as her expression went almost far away but then she snapped out of it and laughed.

       "So do you want to be friends?" Hotaru warmly offered which made the other girl smile.

       "Yes, I'd like that very much. Listen, sorry I have to leave so soon, but I really must go. See you later, Hotaru."

       "Okay, Bye Deidera."

      Hotaru smiled with one last thought as she waved good-bye to Deidera. 'Finally I have a friend. Of course Setsuna, Haruka, and Michiru will not approve but I don't care what they think!'  

*~*~*~*

       Lord Cacus sinisterly smiled. He knew his prize would finally join him today. All he had to do know was wait patiently. 'As long as I keep the one side in power, I'll have complete control. At last, she has arrived.'

       "I wasn't sure you'd make it," the man said softly from behind a mysterious woman.

       "Don't be silly. I wouldn't miss this for the world," woman smirked. "So what is it you wish of me, my darling Lord Cacus?"

       He reached over and stroked her hair gently as he whispered in her ear, "Nothing more than fulfilling the simple duty of ridding this miserable planet of the Sailor Senshi."

       "Done," she purred back  her golden eyes glinting maliciously as she turned to face the evil man whom she knew so many centuries ago. Carefully, she reached behind his neck and placed her lips to his. 'Oh how long has it been since we were last together?'  she thought as she let her kiss linger on then pulled away.

       "Wonderful," Lord Cacus breathed in her ear. "I even have a present for you," he said as he took her hand and placed what appeared to be a henshin wand in it. However, there was something almost corrupt about its slick black appearance. 

       "What is this, my love?" the woman asked as she examined the black wand with swirls of silver and gold in a starburst formation and a backwards J, half of the symbol on the top.

       "A special transformation pen, which will hide your appearance, fooling those idiotic sailor senshi into thinking that you are still the goody goody girl scout that you pose as. Your features will transform into that of a woman who's only intentions are assassination with a name I find perfectly fitting. "Kalika."

       The thin female smirked at the name. "Perfect. At last I have a name of my own. Do you have anything else for me, my Lord Cacus?" she said as she tried to look like an innocent schoolgirl but burst into fit of giggles after failing at her attempt. 'Oh, it feels wonderful to be back in control.' 

       "Anxious aren't we, my dark princess? Very well. I have a list of names that Chamelia had so thoughtfully acquired after those insipid sailor senshi paid you a little visit when you were in the hospital. Sad enough to say, that was almost too easy. All she had to do was change her appearance to that of a nurse and leave a tiny recording device, which recorded every word that they said. Although we don't know who is who, we still know that they are indeed the senshi," the silver and gold haired man said with a grin as he ran his fingers through the girl's hair and then placed a small piece of paper in her hand. "Think you can take care of them?"

       "Certainly. After all, I like to have fun every now and then. I even know exactly how to go about it," Kalika said as she turned to face Lord Cacus and fluttered her eyelashes and she cocked her head as she softly said, "I can play with them of course. Right?" Then the girl deeply kissed the man in front of her and abruptly pulled away. "After all, it's not very nice to kill them right away. You need to tease and traumatize them a little so that they are running scared and then move in for the kill!" 

       Lord Cacus looked down at the grinning girl. Oh she was quite the huntress. This should be quite enjoyable to watch. Softly he kissed her forehead and smiled. "Do what you like, my treasure. Just make sure in the end, that they are dead."

       "Don't worry. You can count on that," the woman whispered as she left her lover with one last kiss and then broke away to begin her duties. "I think I shall begin this game with a bang," she smiled as she transformed into her alter ego, Kalika. 

*~*~*~*

       The usually calm and quiet mansion of outer senshi was very active and booming with voices in a very heated argument. Haruka paced the living room angrily. She was still very furious with how Hotaru was acting as well as the fact that no one seemed to care that they were in a rather hopeless situation and that Deidera was the cause for all of the newest problems. After all, everything went to pieces the moment the new girl arrived. 

       Setsuna and Michiru, however refused to agree with the hot-headed woman who seemed to be jumping to conclusions rather quickly. As far as Hotaru was concerned, she was no longer a child nor their responsibility anymore. Unfortunately, Haruka would not accept any word the two said.

       "Deidera is the victim here, Haruka! She is the one in the hospital screaming her head off because of what they did to her! Why can't you see it?" Michiru said from her place at the piano bench. She was growing frustrated with the blonde. At first, Haruka seemed to agree with them, but quickly changed her mind back to "Deidera is the enemy" once again.

       "Listen to her, Haruka. This is in no possible way Deidera's fault. Why did you decide that she is the enemy once again anyway?" Setsuna softly said from the sofa. She was getting really tired of Haruka's attitude and decided that once the woman did her usual stomping off to her car to burn off steam, that she would probably need two or three cups of green tea this time to help get her mind off the endless bickering that she both heard and participated in.

       "Think about it, Setsuna because I have! I thought she was innocent too at first but once we got back from the hospital I thought of something very interesting. When did all of this start? When did the new enemy show up and the fact that our powers are now useless occur? When Sailor Janus appeared!" Michiru and Setsuna started to open their mouths but short haired woman quickly continued on. "Also, why is it that she was able to defeat the youma or whatever it was called with one simple attack when she appears to be at the same level as us? Something is extremely corrupt and it's her!"

       "Haruka! Listen to yourself! You don't know where to place the blame so you choose the person you feel is most likely to be at fault and unfairly pronounced Deidera as the enemy," the aqua haired woman shouted. 'Great. Not a good move. Now she's either going to yell back or  storm out the door which leaves me to either run after her or staying here crying my eyes out because I have had enough of these stupid screaming matches,' Michiru thought as she bit her lip.

       Sure enough, Haruka was starting to get really fired up and rather than continue on with the dispute, she turned and stomped out of the room, pulling out her car keys from her pocket, and left the house. 

       Setsuna and Michiru each deeply sighed in frustration. 

       "Make me a cup too this time," the music prodigy said as she raced after the unreasonable woman who was once again, going to retreat to her car for a long ride.

*~*~*~*

"Damn those two!" Haruka grumbled as she unlocked the door. "Can't they see I'm right?!" Quickly she placed the key in the ignition and turned it, then suddenly froze. 'Wait, what is that strange ticking noise?'  she thought as her eyes went wide. Without a second thought she opened the door, raced away from the car as fast as she could. 

       At the same moment Michiru, ran out of the house. "Haruka!"

       "Michiru! RUN!" 

       But Michiru never heard what the champion racer said because the explosion of the sports car muted her. Both girls screamed as they were thrown to the ground. Pieces of metal went flying and suddenly everything went black.

       From a far, someone giggled evilly. "And now the games have begun," Kalika smirked as she dropped her cigarette on the ground and disappeared into a rather large growing crowd of onlookers who heard the explosion and came to investigate.

*~*~*~*


	8. Deadly Intentions

A Double Edged Sword Part 8 

Deadly Intentions

By

Sailor Janus

Setsuna, busy preparing the green tea was about to pour the hot water into the cups when suddenly a loud explosion rocked the mansion as several windows shattered and screams filled the air. 

       The green haired woman dropped the kettle on the floor, which fell with a clanking noise as shards of glass flew through the room, one piece embedding itself in her left arm as she was thrown to floor. 

       She cried out in pain from both the glass and the boiling water that she was now lying in and quickly rolled away, careful to make sure there was no glass in her path. 

       Her first conceivable words were "What the hell is going on?!" Painfully, she got on her knees and tried to ignore her injury when suddenly one terrifying thought occurred to her, "Where are Haruka and Michiru?"

       With a gasp she stumbled to her feet and raced for the door, pleading that they were all right and somehow managed to escape. Almost as if in slow motion, the senshi of time, pulled open the door and found pieces of Haruka's sports car in ruins around the yard, streets, and even poking out of the walls of the mansion. Grimly she looked at the crumpled piece of metal that once was the blonde's license plate, when she suddenly felt her heart stop. 

       "No. Oh, Please, gods no," Setsuna whispered as she stepped out of the doorway and carefully walked to where she could swear she saw a crimson liquid on the driveway. Her garnet eyes flooded with tears as she picked up her pace then suddenly Setsuna let out a blood curdling scream as she approached the body of the aqua haired girl and sunk to her knees.

       Michiru was lying crumpled on the ground with a small puddle of blood around her. "SOMEONE! PLEASE GET HELP! CALL AN AMBULANCE!" Setsuna shouted as she carefully grabbed the other girl's hand. 'No, this can't be happening. Why didn't I know that this would happen! Wait, where's Haruka?!' 

       Weakly she stood up and searched the wreckage with her eyes until she found blonde race car driver. She too was coated in blood, even worse than Michiru. 

       Setsuna sank back to her knees and screamed as tears rushed from her eyes. Within moments, an ambulance came and she was escorted away. 

*~*~*~*

       The other sailor senshi were in shock by Setsuna's report and quickly rushed to the hospital. They still didn't know quite what happened since the older woman was being treated still, after having the shard of glass pulled out of her arm. Instead they sat in the waiting wrong, worrying about their friends and speculating why Haruka's car had blown up.

       "Who could do such a thing?!" Usagi cried out as she buried her head into Mamoru's chest. 

       "I don't know, Usako. I just don't know" Mamoru softly said, holding the blonde girl in his arms. 

       Hotaru sat against the wall on the floor with her knees drawn to her chest. 'It's all my fault. If I hadn't been such a brat about everything then none of this would have ever happened,' she thought as tears stained her violet eyes. 'Once again, something good happens and then something horrible happens. Why does this always happen to me?'

       "Do you think someone had something against them or something?" Minako thoughtfully asked. Talking seemed to be her only way to deal with the fact that she was scared for the two outer senshi. No one answered her. Each of the group members were trying to remain calm in their own way. However, some were more successful than others. 

       Rei wasn't paying attention to what was going on around her. Instead she was trying with all her might to meditate in hope that a vision would explain what was going on. Of course nothing came to her.

       Makoto on the other hand, was sitting quietly on the couch with her fists balled up doing some deep breathing. It was either that or punch out the next person that annoyed her. 

       Sitting on the opposite side of the couch was Ami, typing madly away at her Mercury Computer, in hopes of finding an explanation to what had happened. But she too came up empty.

       "Hello everyone," Setsuna sadly said as she walked into the waiting room. Her arm was wrapped up and in a sling. Her eyes also looked swollen from crying, and there were a few apparent bumps and bruises. However, other than that, she looked okay.

       Everyone quickly rose their feet and looked wide eyed at the woman, not really knowing what to say except Ami who commented on her being glad that Setsuna was alright.

       The senshi of time took a deep breath and calmly said, "They are in intensive care right now and in critical condition. There was a lot of blood loss due to the explosion not to mention the fact that they could have been ripped to shreds by all the debris." 

       "Setsuna, what exactly happened? You only mentioned that there was an accident on the phone," Mamoru asked the woman who was walking carefully to one of the chairs.

       Slowly the woman gingerly took a seat. "I don't really know but it appears that someone placed a bomb in Haruka's car and blew it up. The car is completely destroyed as well as most of the mansion. There is glass and metal and blood everywhere," she said with a shaky voice as tears  rushed down her streaked cheeks once again.   

       "They'll pull through. I know they will!" Minako softly said as she pushed a strand of blonde hair out of her face.

       "Minako's right. They are two of the strongest women I know!" Makoto agreed hoping it'll give a little hope to senshi of Pluto. 

       "Thank you. But now where am I going to live? There is yellow tape, metal and glass everywhere in and around that house." Setsuna said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. 

       "You can stay with me!" Makoto cheerfully said. "My apartment is small but it should work in a pinch."

       "Yeah, I'm sure Mako will even cook for you if you want," Usagi smiled as the green haired woman finally let out a small laugh.

       "Thank you, everyone. You have really given me the much-needed support. I really appreciate it." Setsuna softly said.

       "You'd do the same for us." Ami replied as the others nodded.

       "I still find this rather disturbing." Rei cryptically said as she brought her hand up to her face in deep thought.

       "What do you mean, Rei?" Minako asked as she looked at the dark haired girl.

       Rei shook her head as she tried to explain what she was thinking, 'Well, first the whole thing with Deidera and how she practically went psycho then ended up here, and now this with Haruka and Michiru. Something doesn't quite add up."

       The others fell silent as they thought about what had been happening lately, first with the newest senshi and enemy followed by the tragic occurrences. Ami was the first to break this silence.

       "Wait! Deidera is a sailor senshi correct, as are Haruka and Michiru. Do you suppose that our newest nemesis is hunting us down?" Ami said as the others gasped in response. Only Rei seemed unfazed by the girl's speculation.

       "That's what I am afraid is going on. As scary as it sounds. It does make sense. The question is who are we dealing with?" the senshi of fire sighed as she looked urgently at her friends.

       "We better watch our backs and keep our eyes open then. Who knows what they are planning next," Mamoru said as Usagi clutched onto to his arm as he looked gravely at the other girls. 

       While they continued to discuss the accident further, Hotaru sat silently, not really listening as tears slipped quietly from her eyes, unnoticed to the others. 'This is just the beginning,' she thought. 'Soon, everything we know is about to unravel as disaster takes over.'

*~*~*~*

       Deidera gasped out loud as she found herself back in bed. For some reason she could not put any thought into anything. It was like she existed, but had no control. Suddenly she felt very ill. 

       Her stomach felt like it was being ripped open from the inside out, as she cringed from the pain. 'Why am I feeling sick all the time?!' she thought as she clumsily got out of bed, stumbling to her feet and to the bathroom. 

       Deidera practically ripped the medicine cabinet off its hinges, searching for some painkillers but never gained access to them when she suddenly collapsed on the floor. 

       Suddenly a very dim light appeared and took the image of Sailor Janus_. "I'm sorry I had to do it Deidera, but I had no choice. What have they done to you? You are practically being split into two! Does Lord Cacus not know that you'll end up dead if this continues on for too long?  I guess sleep is the only safe place for you now. There must be some way to put an end to all this madness, but how?"_

*~*~*~*

       Chimaera glared at the man who was mixing up another batch of the Dark Light serum for the object of his obsession, Deidera. Ever since he found that girl, he seemed to pay even less attention to her.

       "Chimaera, I know you are standing there. Come in if you have anything to say," Lord Cacus said sounding slightly annoyed.

       With a huff, the woman crossed her arms and entered the dimly lit room. "I just don't see why that silly girl is so vital for this plan!" 

       The silver and gold haired man turned around to face the distraught woman and laughed. "Chimaera, how could you forget. It's very simple. Kalika is the ultimate weapon against the sailor senshi. She is basically unknown to them, which makes  her the best one for the job. Now go fetch Hypnosia so she can inject more Dark Light elixir into that one girl who is Sailor Janus. She is the only senshi I truly am worried about. As long as we keep her out of commission, she won't be a threat to us. Go now."

       The magenta haired woman stood and abruptly spun away from the man who was growing more irritating every day. With one flip of her head she strode to the door and slammed it shut.

       "She'll get over it," Lord Cacus sighed as he returned to the liquid of pure evil.

*~*~*~*

       Usagi slowly walked to her front door. Mamoru was kind enough to drop her off at home and after a long embrace and a few tears, due to the events that had occurred they parted and she found herself walking to her house alone. 

       With a deep sigh, she took her key out of her bag and began to unlock the door when she suddenly noticed a basket of baked goods on the porch.

       "Huh? Hmm, wonder who these are for? Well, can't let baked goods go to waste!" she said as a smile appeared on her face. 'Maybe eating something would make me feel better,'  The blonde thought as she picked up the basket and brought it inside. 

       "Hello?! Hmm, I guess no one is home. Oh well. I don't think they'd mind if I had a few cupcakes!" Usagi said as she set the basket down on the kitchen table. She picked out a small cake and took a bite as she opened the small envelope that was taped to the pale cream-colored wicker basket.

       "To Usagi. I hope these goodies brighten your day. Kalika." She read while she chewed the sweet miniature cake. "Wait? Who is Kalika? Hmm, maybe it's one of my brother's friends playing a practical joke. Either that or they have a crush on me or something." 

       As Usagi was busy thinking about where the basket came from, she unknowingly ate almost everything in the basket except for a couple of cookies. This however was not a very good idea.

       "Ugh, I think I too much. Now I don't feel so good," she softly said as she bent over, holding her stomach.  Just then there was a knock on the door. 

       Groaning, Usagi got up from the table and stiffly walked to the door and opened it only to find Minako on the other side. 

       "Hi, Usa! Wow, you don't look so good," The usually perky blonde said as she took one look at the other girl.

       "Well, she did eat all those sweets," Luna announced from the table as peered into the basket. "She made a glutton of herself if you ask me!" 

       "Luna, can you please not be so mean to me, It's been a really awful day," Usagi said as her eyes started to tear up. 

       "Wait happened?" the black cat asked as she stared at the two girls who looked rather worried.

       "Something really bad," Artemis said as he walked in the house from behind the senshi of Venus.

       "Is that true? What?!" 

       Minako softly shut the door behind her as Usagi dragged herself to the couch. "There was a really bad accident. Someone put a bomb in Haruka's car and it blew up injuring Michiru, Haruka, and Setsuna. Setsuna is okay, but the other two aren't," the senshi of love explained as she stared at the floor. 

       "Yeah, and now, everyone is freaking out," Usagi gasped as she started to slightly rock back and forth. 

       "Usa, are you sure it's just a stomachache?" Minako asked, her blue eyes shone with concern as the other girl winced in pain. 

       "I.... don't ...think so... Mmmm, I ...feel.... really.... strange," the moon princess strained when she suddenly passed out. 

       "Usa?" Minako said as she lightly poked the pig-tailed blonde. "Usagi? Usagi! Wake up!" The volleyball player then began to shake the other girl as the two cats stared with shock. "USAGI!" 

       The senshi of love then began hyperventilating as panic took over. "Oh no. NO! USAGI, WAKE UP! Please wake up!" she screamed then covered her face with her hands as Luna and Artemis finally got a hold of themselves.

       "USAGI!" Luna shouted as tears welled up in her eyes. Turning to the panicking blonde she screamed out, "Minako! Call the hospital!"

       Minako continued to stare at her unconscious friend as she nodded her head and backed away to find the phone. She seemed to dial the emergency number almost mechanically. 

*~*~*~*


	9. Only the Beginning

A Double Edged Sword Part 9

 Only the Beginning

by

Sailor Janus

It seemed to take forever for the paramedics to come. By that time, Minako was a sobbing mess sitting on the floor with her knees drawn up as Luna and Artemis struggled to help their fallen moon princess. It took a matter of minutes from the time they heard sirens to the when the emergency crew rushed into the house. Unfortunately at the same time, both of Usagi's parents arrived home.

       "Oh my! What happened?! What's wrong with Usagi?!" her mother cried out  at the sight of her daughter being rolled away on a stretcher. She tried to rush towards the stretcher, but was pushed away. "She's going to be all right. Right?"

       One of the men with light brown hair calmly replied, "It appears that she maybe very ill. We don't know from what though. Her pulse is dropping too quickly and we need to get her to the hospital as ASAP for some testing. If you would like, you can ride with us."

       Nodding her head in agreement she turned to her husband. "What about you and…. Oh no! Shingo! H hasn't returned from school-" 

      Her husband placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "Go. I'll be with you as soon as Shingo gets home." Gently he kissed her and let go.

The mother gave her husband a sad smile then quickly followed the three men into the ambulance. In a matter of seconds, it sped off, the echo of the siren blaring loudly.

       Unknown to the adults, a shocked and terrified Minako had walked out of the house in daze during all of the commotion, and was now wandering the streets, not even certain of where she was going.

       "Minako! Where are you going?!" Artemis questioned the girl as he and Luna chased after her.

       "To go call the others," she replied with no emotion at all in her voice. 

       "This does not look good. She is acting very strangely," the black cat quietly said to her feline companion.

       Nodding his head Artemis agreed, "I think that situation was a little too much for her to handle. She doesn't even seem to remember she can contact the others with her communicator."

       "Minako! Stop right there and use your wrist communicator!" Luna ordered the girl who turned and looked at them with a blank stare. Her blue eyes were now completely void of emotion, and her face was so gray, that she almost appeared to be the walking dead.

       Luckily Ami happened to walking down the street on her way home from the athletic center. Swimming seemed to be the only way to actually calm her nerves anymore, and with how much was going on right now, the genius was going there everyday.

       "Ami!" Artemis cried out when he noticed the blue-haired girl a few feet up ahead.

       "Artemis, Luna, Minako. Is something the matter?" the senshi of Mercury inquired as she ran up to them. She had noticed the urgency in Artemis's voice and decided that something was definitely wrong.

       "Usagi is being taken to the hospital! And it seems that Minako is in quite a state of shock right now. Can you please contact the others?" Luna explained rather quickly.

       "WHAT?! To the hospital!? Right! I'll let the others know," Ami said as she quickly reported the news to the other sailor senshi. Once she ended the calls, she grabbed Minako's hand  andraced down the street with the blonde in tow. "Okay, now let's catch a bus and get to the hospital fast! The others will meet us there. "

      "Good luck!" Artemis called out as he and Luna saw them off. 

*~*~*~*

       Once again, Setsuna found herself in the waiting room. 'This isn't right. Whoever is hurting us, must know of our identities, but how?' With a sigh, the garnet-eyed woman took a seat in one of the highly uncomfortable chairs. 

       A few moments later Hotaru arrived looking very solemn. She only glanced at Setsuna, and then found a seat on the opposite side of the room. It wasn't that Hotaru was angry or depressed, she just had nothing to say and deep down was very afraid.

       "So we're back here again," Makoto grimly said as she entered the waiting the room with Rei and a very stricken Mamoru behind her. They too found seats but really did not know what to say.

       "Any word yet?" Ami asked as she and Minako walked into the room. 

       The others sadly shook their heads no.

      Minako glanced around the room uneasily. "Um, I have to go to the bathroom," she quietly said as then left her friends with another word.

       "Is she okay?" Rei asked gesturing to the blonde girl who bolted out of the room.

       "She was the one who witnessed Usagi's accident I guess you could call it and apparently, she didn't take it too well," the blue haired girl sighed.

       "You must be Usagi's friends her mother was telling us about," a nurse said as she walked up to the group.

       "Yes, how is she? Is she still alive?" Mamoru urgently asked as he rose to his feet.

       "Yes, she is still alive. Usagi had to have her stomach pumped because there was some sort of poison in her system, but whoever called for help may have saved her life. She's going to be weak for a few days possibly but other than that she'll be fine," the red headed nurse smiled as she told the news to the now very relieved friends. 

       "Can we go see her?" Mamoru questioned now that he felt he could breath again. The last thing he wanted was to lose the one he loved because whoever kills her might as well kill him too because there was absolutely no way he could live without Usagi.

       "Her family is with her right now. But you can see her in a while."

       "Any news on Haruka and Michiru?" Hotaru abruptly asked as the others looked at the girl who had been so quiet lately.

       The nurse smiled once again. "They are going to pull through. There were a few complications because of extreme blood loss not to mention several pieces of glass and metal had to be surgically removed, but their chances look very good right now."

       Everyone sighed in relief at the nurse's response. "So can we go see them?" Ami asked the nurse.

       "Hmm, they aren't awake yet, but I don't see why not. You can follow me."

       Happily, the group followed the redhead down the hall and to an elevator. The entire group boarded and rode up to the sixth floor.

       Meanwhile, Minako finally left the bathroom. She wasn't sure why she went there to begin with only that any thoughts concerning Usagi were best out of her head. Slowly she walked back to the waiting room, which to her surprise was empty.

       "Where did everyone go?" the blonde murmured, staring at the seats which once held her friends in confusion.

       "Oh, I saw them leave for a girl's room. Usagi I believe her name was. Do you want me to take you there?" a pretty nurse with long straight dark hair with red streaks said.

       "Sure! I mean if it's no problem to you."

       "Follow me," the woman said, as she briskly walked down the hall with Minako at her heels. The hallway quickly became less crowded and darker the further down they went. Soon they were facing a rather large door.

       "Um, are you sure they are in here?" Minako asked looking curiously at the door.

       "Trust me. Go on in. They are waiting for you," the woman smiled as she held the door open for the blonde.

       Slowly Minako walked inside. "Hello?" Suddenly the door slammed shut behind the now startled girl. "Okay, it was just the door. Um, why is it so dark in here? Ami? Rei? Mako? Are you in here?" 

       Carefully she walked further in the dim room. "Hello? Setsuna? Hotaru? Mamoru? Anyone?" the senshi of love spun to her left and noticed several long tables with strange shaped objects on them. "I wonder what that could be?" she said as she walked further in the room and suddenly gasped as the objects become clearer. Dead bodies. Screaming she ran back to the door and tried to open it but it would not budge.

       "NO! Let me out of here!" the blue eyed girl cried out, pounding on the door as she began to panic. "LET ME OUT! You can't leave me in here!" 

       Minako turned back towards the center of the room in fear and then in the direction where the cadavers were. "It's okay, they're dead. Nothing is going to hurt you," she tried to reassure herself. A chill ran down her spine so she wrapped her arms around herself tightly. If only she hadn't watched so many horror movies.

_       "Mina."_

       "AHHH! Who said that?!" she screamed out as looking wild-eyed around the room but found no presence of life.

_       "Mina. We're going to kill you."_

       "Leave me alone!" she shouted taking her henshin wand out of her pocket.. "Venus Crystal Power!" To her horror, however nothing happened.  She could not transform. "No! Work! Please work! Venus Crystal Power! VENUS CRYSTAL POWER! NOOOO!"

       _"Mina."   _

       "STOP TALKING TO ME!" she cried out, tears rushing from her eyes as she covered her ears with shaky hands. Slowly she slumped to the ground, leaning against the door.

_       "We are going to kill you."_

_       "You'll become one of us."_

       Minako at this time began going hysterical and started to shake uncontrollably. "Go...Away! Someone ....please help me!" she shouted in between gasps of breath as she pounded her head against the door. Suddenly, the dead bodies rose from their sheets. The poor blonde teenager could only helplessly watch, trembling in terror.

*~*~*~*

       "Haruka! You're awake," Rei cheerfully said as the shorthaired blonde weakly nodded her head. 

       "Yeah, barely. Michiru is still sleeping though. Why did this happen? It just doesn't make sense," Haruka gravely asked as the others exchanged glances.

       With a sigh, Setsuna looked at her friend and explained what she was speculating. "Well, after your attack, Usagi had one as well, but she was poisoned."

       "What?! Is she okay?"

       "Yes, she had to have her stomach pumped but I have a feeling that whoever did this to her were the same ones that put that bomb in your car. The bad thing about this is that it implies whoever tried to kill you three probably know our identities."

       "You mean they know we are sailor senshi?" Raye interjected as she stared at the tall woman who sadly nodded.

       "Yes, and I'm afraid that we all are in grave danger."

       Everyone was quiet as the startling news finally began to settle.

       "Do you mean we are being hunted down?" Makoto questioned the green haired woman, her green eyes wide with fear and anger. 

       Setsuna nodded. "It seems that way so be on constant alert. Who knows when this monster will strike next?"

*~*~*~*

       "Let me out of here!" Minako tearfully whispered as she began rocking back and forth. By this time she was drenched in sweat and whatever makeup she previously wore was now gone due to the combination of sweat and tears. 

       The cadavers were now coming closer. The usually cheerful blonde wanted to scream with all her might but found she no longer had a voice as she continued to rock back and forth, her knees drawn up to her chest.

       "Mina." 

*~*~*~*

       "I wonder what is taking Minako so long?" Ami said as her thoughts traveled to the blonde who appeared to have not been herself from the moment she saw the girl when Luna and Artemis had told her the news on Usagi.

       "Maybe she just needs to collect her thoughts a little. She did witness Usagi pass out and probably freaked thinking she was dead," Rei thoughtfully replied as she swung her dark hair off her shoulder.

       "Hotaru," Haruka said as she looked at the girl who seemed to be quieter than usual.

       "Huh?" the violet-eyed girl jumped as she looked at the woman in the hospital bed.

       "Are you okay? You haven't said much of anything."

       Hotaru briefly smiled as she nodded her head.

       "If you think any of this is your fault, you are wrong. We were not arguing about you or anything. Don't worry we'll get through this," Haruka said sternly as the girl once again nodded her head.

  'But this is just the beginning,' the youngest of the group grimly thought. She didn't know where those words came from. It was like the thought was not her own and someone placed it in her head, almost as a warning. "I must go," Hotaru softly said as she turned towards the door. "Bye everyone and tell Michiru I'm glad she is okay." Quickly she left the room  before any had the chance to respond.

       "She has been like that ever since the whole thing with Deidera," Setsuna sighed.

       "Maybe she just has a lot on her mind," Mamoru shrugged.

      "I just hope she's okay," the senshi of time nodded.

       Just then a dark haired nurse entered the room. "Visiting hours are now over. You can come again tomorrow." The group nodded then quickly said their goodbyes.

        "We're glad you two are okay," Rei said as she said goodbye.

       "Get well soon!" Makoto added as she waved.

       "Take care," Setsuna softly said, as Mamoru waved goodbye.

       "We will see you tomorrow," Ami smiled as she followed the others out.

       "Do you think we can see Usagi?" Mamoru asked as they walked down the narrow hall. 

       "I hope so, I really miss meatball head!" Rei said they tried to find the location of the receptionist's desk.

       Makoto nodded in agreement then paused. "I wonder what is keeping Minako?" she asked, now feeling a little concerned for her friend.

       "Maybe she went home," Setsuna shrugged as they took the elevator down to the ground floor.

       "But that wouldn't be like her to not tell anyone," Ami pointed out as Rei gasped with fear.

       "Do you think someone got her?!" Rei said as the others began looking nervous.

*~*~*~*

       Haruka slowly began to doze off when she heard the door softly open. 'Must be another nurse checking up on us,' she thought keeping her eyes closed. Suddenly, something felt very wrong. Abruptly she opened her eyes and turned to the bed where Michiru was and gasped. A nurse was trying to smother the aqua haired woman with a pillow!

       "Michiru! What are you doing?!" Haruka said looking very outraged.

       "I'm finishing what I started," the woman said as her golden eyes glittered.

       "You! Leave her alone!" 

       At this time Michiru stared to wake up and looked very frightened. "MMMPH! HARUKA!" she managed to say as her words her muffled. With all her strength she brought her hands up to her face, trying to fight the woman off her by pushing against the pillow.

       "I will. Once she is dead," the dark haired woman matter of factly said as she put more force on the senshi of the sea.

       This angered the blonde to no degree as she tried to get out of her bed so she could tackle the woman attempting to kill Michiru. However just as Haruka placed her feet on the cold tile floor she cried out in pain and doubled over, holding her stomach.

       "Oh dear. You hurt yourself and will probably end up bleeding to death. What a shame. Those darn stitches can be so tricky," the woman cackled as Michiru's defense began to weaken.

       "Why?! Why are you doing this to us?!" Haruka asked through gritted teeth as her hospital gown slowly became stained with blood.

       "Because I have to exterminate you insipid Sailor Senshi. The bomb was genius really. Two for the price of one," the woman smirked as Michiru fell limp on the bed. "Oh dear. I think I broke her." 

       "You witch! I am going to kill you!" Haruka shouted as she cringed in pain.

       "Empty threat. I'll let you finish what you have started. Of course that ruins my fun, but oh well. Bye bye for now," the woman whispered as she walked out of the room.

       "MICHIRU! NOOOOO!" Haruka screamed out, sobbing on the floor. After a brief second, she took a deep breath then screamed at the top of her lungs, "SOMEONE HELP ME!"


	10. Panic Attack

A Double Edged Sword Part 10

 Panic Attack

by

Sailor Janus

The sun was shining brightly as Deidera began to wake up. Blinking, she glanced at the clock and slapped her hand to her face. She completely missed her classes. "Great just what I need at a new school, being accused of skipping," she mumbled as she sat up cringing in pain. 

       The burgundy-haired girl's head felt like a sledgehammer had slammed into it repeatedly. "Why am I in pain so much?! This has never happened before! Why now?" she said to herself as she slid out of bed. With a small groan, she headed towards her bathroom to find a bottle of aspirin. But once again she never made it and collapsed in the hallway instead.

*~*~*~*

       The hospital was rather calm as the coroner slowly made his way down the hall. "That lunch break was much too short," he grumbled as he stopped in front of the door to the morgue. 

       Suddenly the graying man heard a repeated thudding sound against the heavy door. "What the hell?! Is one of the corpses trying to get out or something?" he joked as he cautiously unlocked the door and inched it open causing Minako to tumble into the doorway, landing at the man's feet.

       "What were you doing in there?!" he shouted as he stared at the girl who looked quite petrified.

       "They're not going to kill me. They're not going to kill me. They're not going to kill me," Minako chanted over and over as the coroner knelt down to try and help the blonde girl to her feet, but she didn't seem to notice him.

       "Damnit! She's probably in shock or something!" the man exclaimed. He made a face at the teen and decided it was very unlikely that she was going to get up anytime soon as she continued her endless chant. Taking a deep breath he sprinted down the hallway for assistance.

       At the same time, after much debate, the girls left Mamoru at Usagi's room and went in search of their missing friend.

"Um, excuse me. Have you see a blonde girl with a red bow in her hair about my height wearing a blue dress?" Rei questioned a woman who shook her head when suddenly a graying man ran into the lobby area towards a doctor who was speaking to the receptionist.

       "There is a girl who somehow got locked in the morgue. I think she maybe in a state of shock right now and I need some help to get her out of there because I cannot seem to move her on my own." The man explained. The woman nodded her head and then paged some people to help the frantic man as the doctor raced in the direction of the morgue.

       "Could that be Minako?" the dark haired girl said to herself as she ran off to find the others.

*~*~*~*

       Mamoru looked lovingly at the girl lying in the bed. Her hair was now down and flowing freely, but she looked very pale and exhausted.

       "Hey, sweetie. How do you feel?" he softly asked as he brushed a stray hair from her face.

       "The doctor said I was poisoned. Who would do such a thing?!" the blonde tearfully said as she looked up at her boyfriend. Carefully he reached over and brushed the fallen droplet from her face. If only the situation were better, she'd be in heaven right now.

       "I don't know. Possibly the same person or persons who put the bomb in Haruka's car," the blue eyed man said as he gently took Usagi's hand in his. "I'm very happy that you are alright. I don't know what I'd do if you died."

       "You're so good to me, Mamoru," the blonde murmured as he kissed her forehead and then stroked her face carefully with the back of his hand. "Are Haruka and Michiru okay? No one has told me anything of them."

       He nodded his head with a smile. "Yes, the doctor said they'd pull through and we even got to talk to Haruka until a nurse kicked us out."

       "That's good to know that they are still alive. I was so worried about them that I ate...." Usagi began to say and then froze as her eyes went wide with horror.

       "What? What's wrong?!"

       "…the basket of goodies that were the door step," the girl finally finished. "Someone was trying to kill me after all. The treats in the basket were poisoned." Usagi gravely said as she frowned. "And like a fool I ate the baked goods no questions asked as far as where the stupid basket came from or if it was even safe! How idiotic am I?!" 

       "Usako, calm down. It could have happened to anyone. In fact, Setsuna even assumes that someone is hunting us down. Somehow they knew of your weakness and targeted it perfectly," the dark haired man said trying to soothe his girlfriend.

       "I just wish there was a way to prevent these things from happening," the moon princess softly said as fresh tears ran down her cheeks.

       "Why don't you try to get some rest? I'm going to go check in on Haruka and Michiru one more time, then see if I can catch up to the other girls. Hopefully, we'll find whatever is trying to kill us before more get hurt," Mamoru softly said as he placed a lingering kiss on Usagi's lips. "I love you. Sweet dreams, my princess." 

       Usagi smiled at his words as she kissed the man she loved back and then watched him depart from her.

       Quietly Mamoru left her room and headed to the room Haruka and Michiru were sharing. He didn't like leaving Usagi by herself, but the fact that the nurse in the outer senshi's room seemed a little too pushy in making them leave was starting to bother him. "If visiting hours were over, then it'd be the same for Usagi," he said to himself as he quickened his pace and suddenly heard loud shouting.

       Speeding up, he jogged around the corner then stopped dead in his tracks. There was a huge crowd of people in front of Michiru and Haruka's room. 

       "No! This is not happening," Mamoru quietly walked towards the scene as if he were trying to find a different room. Slyly he peered into the room and felt all the color drain from his face. It appeared that they were trying to revive Michiru as  Haruka was being placed on a stretcher headed towards the emergency room, Mamoru guessed. The blonde race car driver appeared to be slipping in and out of consciousness. Blood was soaked through her hospital gown and she looked deathly pale.

       Finding the ability to breathe again, Darien rushed back to Usagi's room. There was no way he was about to let her out of his sight!

*~*~*~*

       "What am I going to do?" Hotaru sorrowfully said as she sat on her bed staring at her lamp collection. She sighed as she leaned forward allowing her hair to partially shroud her face. "Something truly sinister is happening but no one knows what. I know I shouldn't have left but everything became too painful and I couldn't handle it. I hope they don't think I hate them; I just don't feel much like myself right now. At least everyone is still okay." 

       Suddenly the violet-eyed girl's communicator went off.

*~*~*~*

       "It's down this way!" Rei shouted as she and the other sailor senshi raced down the hallway towards the morgue.

       "Hey! What are you kids doing?! That's a restricted area," a male nurse shouted as he began chasing after them.

       "Sorry but this is an emergency!" Ami replied as they increased their pace before being forced to skid to a stop. 

       "MINAKO!" the girls shouted as they tried to rush towards the girl.

       Minako now on a stretcher still chanting the same thing. Her blonde hair now stringy, was falling limp around her pale face and hollow looking eyes. She was panting as if she had just run a marathon, and looked like she was going insane at the moment. 

       The others stared at her, speechless. They had never seen the perky girl look so terrible.

       "D you know this girl?" one of the doctors asked as he looked up at the small group.

       "Yes, she is our friend," Makoto said as she continued to stare at the girl whom she barely recognized.

       "Then maybe you can tell us what she was doing in the morgue," the coroner said with his voice spiked with annoyance.

       "We did not know where she went. She said she had to use he bathroom and disappeared," Setsuna sternly said. She knew right away that she did not like this guy.

       Makoto inched near her friend." Minako? Are you okay?" Sadly, she received no reply.

       "She's going too far into shock. We're going to have to sedate her. Excuse us ladies," the doctor said as they pushed past the girls with Minako strapped to the stretcher.

       The four girls did not even bother to follow. They knew they wouldn't be allowed in the room. Somehow, they had a feeling it was going to be a very long day. 

       "Back to the waiting room?" Rei questioned as the others nodded when suddenly their communicators went off. Each exchanged glances before answering.

       "Hi, it's Mamoru. I'm using Usagi's communicator. She's fine and is asleep right now, but there is some severe trouble going on, though. Someone tried to kill Haruka and Michiru again and I'm afraid they may have succeeded this time," Mamoru grimly said.

       "WHAT?!" all five girls said as they suddenly felt their hearts stop and were unable to breathe for a split second. 

       Trying to recover from the startling news, Rei reported another unfortunate fact. "They must have gotten to Minako too. She somehow got locked in the morgue and has completely flipped out."         

       "Well, I am not going to leave Usagi's side for a second. If they dare hurt her again I'll kill them with my bare hands!"

       "Good idea, Mamoru. We definitely need to keep watch now," Setsuna sighed. "We are going to check up on Mina if they will let us."

       "Okay. Bye."

*~*~*~*

       Hotaru quietly turned off her communicator and stared at it. "They did it again just as I feared. We are no longer safe. No one is," she softly said as she threw the device to the floor. "There has to be some way to defeat this menace before it kills all of us but how?"  

       She glanced at her untouched math homework but had no will to try to solve even one problem. It just didn't seem important. "I wish I could have been able to stop this. I wish I hadn't been such a brat lately and I wish whoever is doing this to us would just GO TO HELL!"  she shouted as she threw her math book to the ground.      

       "Hotaru?" a sickly voice said as the girl closed her eyes.

       "Sorry, daddy! I was just killing a roach! You know how much I hate them. I'll try to be a little quieter." the dark haired girl meekly apologized as she opened her eyes, allowing a tear to run down her face. "I'm sorry."

*~*~*~*

       Lord Cacus stared at his drink. 'She's late,' he thought as he picked up the shot of sake and quickly downed it. 

       Suddenly he felt the presence of another person. "Sorry I'm so late. I had a little unfinished business to take care of first." Kalika purred as she wrapped a leather-clad arm around the man. "You aren't angry with me are you?" she innocently mocked.

             Harshly he grabbed her and pulled her into his lap. "And what have you been up to, my dark angel?"

       "I love it when you're rough with me," Kalika smirked before he grabbed her by the hair and forced his mouth to hers. "That was sinfully good." she whispered when they parted. "I'll have you know I've been a bad girl today and have gone about my duties properly."

       "So are they all dead yet?" Lord Cacus gruffly asked as he shoved a drink in the girl's hand. 

       "Don't be silly. First I drive them insane and then I merely put them out of their misery. So far four of them are in hospital and two I probably accidentally killed. What a pity," the dark haired girl explained as she sipped the strong liquor in her glass before finishing it off in one gulp.

       "But you are going to kill them right?" the silver and gold haired man sternly asked.

       "Of course I am. Just wait until they find out what I going to do to them tomorrow. You did not call me Kalika for nothing, my love," the girl sneered and then cackled. "Another shot please." she said to the bartender. "I am going to drink for what I am worth. Then tomorrow, I plan on having more fun."


	11. Falling to Pieces

A Double Edged Sword Part 11

Falling to Pieces

by

Sailor Janus

Deidra opened her eyes but discovered everything was a big blur. She was lying sprawled on her bed and seemed to have the worst headache in history. 

       Rain beat softly against her window as she rolled over and suddenly felt very queasy. Without so much as a thought, she rushed off to the bathroom as fast as she could before emptying practically everything in her stomach. 

       Sickly she slumped to the floor and leaned against the wall as the acidic taste lingered in her mouth. Tears quickly fell from her jade green eyes as she drew her knees up to her chest, cradling them.  'What is happening to me?! I have never been this sick this before! What the hell is wrong with me?!' she thought as reached for a tissue to blow her nose. After a gentle blow, she gaped in horror at the ever present blood staining the soft white sheet. In frustration, she threw the tissue and buried her face in her knees rocking back and forth, before vomiting once again.

*~*~*~*

       'White, pasty, and boring,' Minako decided as she stared up at the ceiling in the hospital. The effects of whatever drugs they used on her were finally dying down and the girl was finally able to think on her own.

       The senshi of love knew she wasn't crazy. Granted, it was not a stress-free day and she did watch her friend collapse, sending her into a panic, but isn't that normal?

       'Why did that lady lock me inside the morgue? I don't understand it,' the blue-eyed girl thought as she tried to move in the bed she was strapped to before giving up with a sigh. "Well, at least I don't have to worry about that history test today," Minako grumbled. 

       Turning her focus back to the ceiling she thought aloud, "I wonder how the others are doing? No one is telling me anything and the others won't probably won't visit until after school."

       Closing her eyes, visions of the cadavers reaching out for her were still in her head. "I know what I saw and they really did come to life. I know they did, if only I could convince someone to believe me."

*~*~*~*

       It had been several hours since Hotaru arrived home from school. Propping herself up on the pillows on her bed, she leaned against the wall as she brought her attention to the door which lead out of her dimly lit room. Hotaru's only comfort zone was that room. U unfortunately this time, it was not helping in the least bit. Everything seemed to be crumbling to pieces. 

       She could barely remember her day at school. Everything was a constant blur. Her sanctuary was a mess, which was very unusual. Normally, the dark violet-haired girl was able to keep up after her room, but now, it seemed pointless. 

     Everything was quickly going wrong. Her friends and herself were being hunted down; she couldn't concentrate on her classes and to her horror, received her first F on a math test. To make matters even worse, her father seemed to become sicker and weaker each day. Hotaru knew what was going to come of it, but continued to push the thought out of her mind. Even the three women who she loved as her second family, who raised her after she was reborn, were either injured or near death. The soldier of destruction didn't even want to believe that Haruka and Michiru could be dead right now. She refused to accept it.   

       Hotaru bit her lip as she felt all the tension build up and finally couldn't take it anymore. Quickly, she grabbed the nearest pillow and screamed into it for all she was worth before breaking down, sobbing uncontrollably. 

       Throwing the pillow effortlessly across the room, the teen wiped her eyes with her sleeve as she brought her focus back to the door and then to her backpack. 

       Escape.

*~*~*~*

       Sighing deeply, Ami's heart felt heavy as she stretched and then dove into the cool water. 'Once again, I am here, trying to find a way to lose touch with reality. If only it were not so bleak, I wouldn't be here everyday,' the blue haired girl thought as she swam laps back and forth in the clear water. 

       She had to get her mind off the horrific events, but she couldn't. The frightened face of Usagi looking at her so fearful, Minako's frantic expressions, and Haruka and Michiru…. she couldn't even imagine them. It was too painful.

       'Who is doing this?' Ami questioned as she dove under the water. Never since her days of becoming a sailor senshi had there even been someone focused on murdering them. Why now?

       Realizing she was running out of air, the short haired girl began swimming for the surface when suddenly someone dunked her head back under. 

       Ami gasped but only water entered her lungs as she fought for oxygen only able to gain one breath before she was forced back under. 

       'I can't go on like this! Who is that?! If only I had my henshin wand,'  the girl thought as she struggled against her attacker. 

       Finally, her frustration hit a peak as she clawed the hand that was pushing her under to the point she drew blood. The person cried out in and pulled Ami up by her hair. 

       Frowning, in front of her Ami found a dark haired woman looking very angry. "That was not nice!"

       "And killing me is?" the blue haired girl gasped as she glared at the woman. "Why are you doing this?! We have done nothing to you!"

       The woman's golden eyes gleamed as she smirked, "Because it is my duty, now die!" With lightening speed, she shoved Ami back under the water before the poor girl knew what was happening, and before she could even take one last breath as her lungs eventually began to fill with water.

*~*~*~*

       Mamoru watched Usagi sleep, as his heart seemed to break. She was so pale and frail looking. The poisoning had terrified the girl so much that she refused to eat, no matter where it came from. 

       Slowly she woke up and noticed her boyfriend sitting in a chair across from her. Briefly she smiled. "Hi. When did you get here?" she softly said.

       "A few hours ago. How do you feel?" the dark haired man asked, as he looked concerned at the girl in the bed.

       "Okay, I guess."

       "Usagi, I know how much you hate me for nagging you about this, but you have to eat," Mamoru stated firmly as the blonde shook her head nervously.

       "No! What if it's poisoned? I don't want to die!" 

       The man sighed deeply. He never realized how scared she really was but looking deep into her crystal blue eyes, he knew she feared for her life. He was going to kill whoever was tormenting them. Usagi didn't deserve this. None of them did. 

       Quietly Mamoru stood up and walked up to his girlfriend then sat next to her as took her hand in his. "What if I brought some food? Would you eat that?"

       "No, it could be poisoned too," she stated as the man sighed once again. The once cheerful girl was now a paranoid wreck, and it was tearing him apart. He had to help her but how?

*~*~*~*

       Sweeping the shrine grounds was the only way that Rei could find a way to relieve her stress. 'I need a vision but nothing is coming to me! Who is this evil and why do they want us dead?!' Feeling her anger get the best of her, the dark haired girl threw the broom to the ground and stomped off to her favorite cherry blossom tree. She already had made several attempts at trying to do a fire reading, but Rei could not find anything. It was all a complete blank. 

       The mystery of Sailor Janus and Deidera was also plaguing her mind. "Why were those bracelets so important and where did Deidera disappear to?" the senshi of fire said to herself as she recalled the events of the past few days. The others never mentioned the girl since the attacks began but she was also a sailor senshi. Why would she try to hurt them not to mention, wasn't she a victim as well?

*~*~*~*

       Makoto was hard at work, cleaning her apartment from top to bottom. She knew that Setsuna, who was staying there for a few days until everything was cleaned up at the mansion, didn't care otherwise. However, the senshi of Jupiter found that cleaning, cooking or martial arts training usually helped her work out her problems and keep a clearer head. 

       "Why does someone want to kill us? Did we do something to them in the past or something?" she said to herself as she vacuumed the carpet in the living room.

       Checking her watch she noticed it was almost time for her to leave. "I guess, the rest of the apartment can wait," the brunette sighed as she left for her room to get ready before departing her home.

*~*~*~*

       "I can't believe that this is the same place," Setsuna breathed as she looked around the devastation, which once was the lovely mansion,  she had called home when not guarding the gates of time. 

       She was growing tired of the emotional anguish she was now constantly plagued with. The fact that this new nemesis was operating differently compared to their previous enemies was beyond her. The woman found it rather troubling and the fact that they still had no clue who or what was hunting them down gave no comfort. They were trying to assassinate them. Assassination. That seemed to be the perfect word.  Strikes quickly and suddenly, without evidence leading to their identity.       

        'They have already placed four of us in the hospital,' Setsuna thought as she stepped over the broken glass and headed in the direction of her room.

       She gravely feared what would happen next. "Explosion, poisoning, insanity, smothering, hemorrhage which lea to almost bleeding to death, there is no ties between any of them except they were done without knowledge leading to the attacker," she said to herself as she turned the doorknob to her room. The green-haired woman only wanted to grab a few things to take back with her to Makoto's before the brunette came to help her with the heavier stuff to place in storage. At least, the things that were spared from the shower of broken glass and metal.

       "Tricky little monster even found a way to block my visions," she muttered when suddenly the woman was thrown against the wall.

       Screaming, Setsuna landed on the floor and painfully groaned as she glanced up, only to find a shiny object in a dark haired girl's hand. 

       "You! You were that rude nurse!  Who are you and what are you doing here?!" Setsuna shouted as she tried to get up but was forced back down.

       Snickering the girl pinned the senshi of time to ground as she held the knife in her hand. "But that would be giving it away. Don't worry, this will hurt a lot probably, but soon it will be all over."

       Holding Setsuna down with all her weight, the dark haired girl ran the blade of the knife against the older woman's wrist, slicing it as she cried out in pain.

       "Oh, look at that. It's not good to commit suicide. You have so much to live for," the female assassin mocked with an evil glint in her eyes.

       "Who are you?! You're killing me anyway so why don't you tell?" the woman urgently ordered as the girl sliced her other wrist.

       "You are so weak, but I'll leave you with a name," the golden eyed girl sneered as she stood up. "They call me Kalika. The rest, you shall never know because life was too cruel for you, and you found death as a much better place. Good Night."

       The garnet-eyed woman heard the girl leave as the lights began to dim.


	12. Blood and Water

A Double Edged Sword Part 12 

Blood and Water

by

Sailor Janus

Haruka awoke with a start. Groggily she reached up to rub her eyes and winced in pain. 'Did they have to make the bandages so tight?!'

       "Hey, you're finally awake, " the aqua-haired girl in the bed next the blonde softly said.

       "Michiru! You're alive!" 

       Giggling lightly, Michiru weakly nodded, "Yes, I am, thanks to your screaming. I still do not understand why that woman was trying to kill us. I can barely remember what she said. If only we could have transformed, we wouldn't be in this state."

       "She was evil all right and she wants all of us dead," Haruka said with a sigh. "I wonder how the others are surviving? Damnit! I could kill her right now but I don't feel like having my guts empty out on the floor."

       "Something will happen, Haruka. Don't worry. I am just glad that she didn't kill you. I hope the others are still alive. She sounded like she means business."

       "Yeah, but as soon as I'm out of this hospital I'm gonna hunt her down and kill her even if I have to chase her down in a wheelchair!"

*~*~*~*

       The water in the pool at the athletic club was calm and still as ice when Ryo Urawa walked through the heavy glass doors.  He scanned the area in confusion and ran a hand through his brown hair. "Odd. I wonder where Ami is? She said to meet her here so we could go and study for that history test at the library afterwards," he said to himself as he inspected the pool area closer when suddenly, his eyes fell upon a rather large object floating in the pool.

       "Wait....what is....oh no," he gasped when the realization that it was Ami who was floating face down in the pool, hit him hard. Without thinking, he raced towards the edge and dove in still wearing his school uniform. Quickly he grabbed a hold of the girl's waist and he swam to the nearest edge then carefully pulled her out of the water. 

       "Ami! Can you hear me?! AMI!" Ryo frantically shouted, as he climbed out of the pool. He shook her slightly then lightly slapped her face. Receiving no response he took a deep breath and then began CPR and artificial respiration.

       "Come on, Ami! Don't give up on me! You can't!" he urged the girl while alternating breaths and chest compressions. "Please Ami, please, don't die on me. Don't die." 

       Finally, after what seemed like eternity, the blue-haired girl spat out a mouthful of water, before turning to her side, to regurgitate the rest that was still in her lungs.

       "Ami! You're alive!" Ryo exclaimed as he helped the girl turn over and patted her back gently as she coughed up the rest of the water before saying a weak "Thank you."

       "What happened?! I thought you were a strong swimmer," the boy softly said as he began to look very relieved. Ami was a little drawn back over the fact that he seemed really worried about her but she smiled.

       "I really don't remember. I was under so much stress lately that I guess I blanked out," the girl lied as she looked down at the tiled floor. 'Thank goodness he was here or I would actually be dead right now.'

       "You had me so scared! I thought I was too late and lost you," Ryo admitted as he looked back at the pool, not wanting to meet the girl's pretty blue eyes.

       "Lo-lost me?" Ami stammered. 

       "Yeah, I guess you could say I really do like you. It's just hard to find a way to say it and I'm sorry that it took so long for me to admit it. I-I just really didn't know what to say. I'm sorry," the boy blushed as he finally looked at her face. 

       Ami looked a little surprised and blushed as well. "I like you too, Ryo." The two then meet with a small soft kiss then pulled away smiling. 

*~*~*~*

       "Setsuna?" Makoto called out as she entered the outers' mansion. "Where is she?" 

       Quietly she walked up the stairs to where Setsuna's perfectly decorated room was located and had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. 

       Just then, a girl room raced out of the room and broke through the window. "What the?!" Makoto said in shock when she finally realized that the dark haired girl came from Setsuna's room. 

       "Setsuna!" the brunette haired teen cried out as she threw open the door only to discover that the dark green-haired woman's wrists were slashed.

       "No!" Rushing to the senshi of time's side, Makoto grabbed a sheet off  the bed next to them and tore off several strips. Frantically, she applied the pieces of cloth to the wounds. "Setsuna, please hold on."

       With lightening speed, the senshi of Jupiter grabbed the phone from the nightstand and dialed the emergency number. 

It took only a matter of minutes before the ambulance finally arrived and took the two girls to the hospital.

*~*~*~*

      'Almost done,' Hotaru thought with a sigh when abruptly she was torn from her thoughts as her communicator beeped. "Not again," she said to herself as she picked up the small electronic device, listening intently as Makoto explained what happened to Setsuna on the communicator. 

       "I Guess I should take a bus over there," the dark-violet haired girl softly said as she looked longingly at her backpack. 'Tomorrow is not soon enough.'

*~*~*~*

       Minako was finally signing her release papers when her communicator began beeping. "Heh heh, it's my pager. My friends are probably worried about me! I'll be back in a minute," the girl smiled as she backed away to a corner of the room and then listened to Makoto's news on senshi of time's attack. "No," the blonde breathed as she sunk to the ground. "Well, I guess I'll be stuck here longer than I thought. Please be okay, Setsuna," Minako whispered when a thought struck her. 'Wait, this killer can't seem to pull off the actually murder, they just come so close and stop. If we are such a threat to them then why don't they finish the job?'

       "Minako," Usagi called out as she walked over to her friend and hugged her. The doctors were still having a difficult time making the moon princess eat due to her paranoia because of her attack. Fortunately Mamoru did manage to get her to eat something, so slowly Usagi was recovering.

       "Usagi! I'm so glad to see you. Are you okay?" the senshi of love urgently asked the golden blonde haired girl who nodded. The cheerful smile on Minako's face faded as she said, "Setsuna was attacked."

       "I know. We need to find whatever it is that is doing this, before things get even worse."

       "Hey," Makoto yelled out as she raced towards her friends. The color of girl's face was very flushed as if she had ran to hospital, but the two girl's knew it was just her fury raging. "Am I glad to see you two! I think we need a meeting as soon as Setsuna is healed."

       "How is she?" Usagi asked as she looked in her friend's emerald green eyes.

       "She has lost some blood, but the odd thing is that the knife didn't cut anything vital! It seems to have just grazed the surface of her wrists missing her veins." 

       "What?!" both girls chorus as Rei and Ami walked into the waiting room. 

       "What's wrong?! She didn't die, did she?!" the blue-haired girl nervously said. Ami was still quite shaken by her near drowning and tried intensely to keep her emotions under control.

       "No, the killer was sloppy or didn't have it in her heart to kill Setsuna or something. The knife sliced her skin but it did not cut any veins!" Makoto exclaimed.

       "Hmm, think she's just trying to torment us or something?" Rei thought about her question for a moment  then shook her head. "No that can't be it. She seems to be intent on killing us but can't pull it off all the way for some reason."

       "There you are! I was wondering where you went," Mamoru said as he smiled at Usagi who was in a fluffy pink bathrobe with pink bunny pajama's underneath. "Shouldn't you still be in bed?" he asked as he handed her a bag of homemade  food. 

       "Setsuna was attacked. They slashed her wrists," Rei calmly explained.

       Mamoru's blue eyes widened with horror. "What?! Is she okay?!" 

       "Yes, they missed every vital vein and nerve. It was only a surface wound," Ami said and then looked at the ground. "Much like my near drowning."

       "They tried to drown you?! Why didn't you tell us?!" Makoto asked the girl who was staring at her shoes. The tall brunette slowly curled her hand into a fist and clenched it tightly, wishing there was something for her to punch.

       "It happened less than an hour ago. Lucky for me, Ryo saved me."

       "We're so glad you are okay!" Usagi exclaimed as she pulled a sandwich out of the bag that her boyfriend gave her. She carefully inspected it and after deciding it was safe, took a bite.

       Just then Hotaru walked into the room. Her face was very solemn, expressing her lack of desire to be there. When she saw the others talking, she faked a smile and walked up to the crowd.

       "Hotaru! There you are! We've been wondering where you went," Makoto said when she saw the girl walk into the room. "Good news! The killer was sloppy and didn't cut anything important! Setsuna's gonna be okay!"

       "Really? That's great! What about everyone else? Sorry, I haven't been here that much. It's just …. hard." 

       "We understand, Hotaru," Ami smiled reassuringly. "Usagi and Minako as you can see, are better now. And Michiru and Haruka survived their second attack. They're fairly weak, but they'll be okay."

       "I'm glad." the violet-eyed girl smiled but deep down she still felt sad.

*~*~*~*

       'Strange. How did I get here?!' Deidera thought as she glanced around her unfamiliar surroundings. She was in some strange park with a small pond in the center. The teen's back was leaning against a cherry blossom tree. 

       Absent-mindedly she reached up to push a strand of hair that was in her face, when she suddenly yelped in pain. Glancing down at her hand she noticed there was a piece of glass embedded in it. 

       Gritting her teeth, she carefully pulled it out and watched as the blood slowly gushed from the wound. 

       We all bleed red. Not yellow, not purple, not blue. Red. I know the color well. Thick, crimson, and slick. I know I shall see more of it, before the end of my days. Whether it be painted on my hands, or gushing out of my chest, smeared on my face, or soaked through my clothes, I will meet it again. The color plagues me. Dark red is everywhere I look. Mocking me, patronizing me. Whispering to me my fate, but that book has not been written yet. I will be the one to decide where the story ends at, not a script telling me what to say and do. Blood may be thicker than water, but I can stop it from flooding the streets.

     The burgundy-haired girl glanced up with determination in her jade green eyes. "I may not understand what is happening, but I will stop it. This shall not continue on. I will put an end to it," she whispered as she stared at the sky.

*~*~*~*

       A few hours later, the senshi and Mamoru found themselves in Haruka and Michiru's hospital room. Setsuna was there as well. Her wrists were bandaged, but luckily the cuts were not deep. Makoto was leaning against the wall, as Mamoru sat on one of the chairs with Usagi, who was still munching away on her lunching, perched on his lap. Setsuna settled for one of the other chairs as Minako and Ami sat at the foot of Haruka and Michiru's beds. Rei was decided to stand as Hotaru placed herself on the floor, further away from the group.

       "I have a startling revelation for all of you," Setsuna said as she looked at each of her friends. "The killer has revealed her name."

       "What is it?" Usagi asked in between bites of an apple. 

       "Kalika. It comes from Kali Ma, which means 'She who destroys."

       "How fitting," Rei dryly muttered. "And it is us she wants to destroy."

       "She doesn't want to destroy us though, she told me it was her duty," Ami pointed out as she explained her near drowning. 

       "So did you and Ryo kiss?" Minako smirked as the senshi of Mercury blushed. 

       "Um, that's not important!"

       "Sure," Minako giggled, tossing her long hair off her shoulder. "I bet you did."

       "Uh, can we stay on the subject, please?" Haruka asked looking rather annoyed.

       "Wait! What did the girl look like?" Minako asked as she realized that she might have been a victim as well.

       "She had long dark hair with dark red streaks, about Michelle's height, slender, wearing a long black coat and black pants with a red top and black boots. She also had glowing golden eyes," Setsuna described as the others looked wide-eyed at he senshi of time.

       "That was the nurse that locked me in the morgue! I'm not crazy!" Minako exclaimed.

       "Yep, she was the one that kicked us out of Haruka and Michiru's room as well," Rei reminded them.

       "This still does not explain anything though. We still don't know whom we are dealing with. She could be using the name of Kalika as a secret identity," the blonde racecar driver brought up throwing her hands in the air.       

       "Great. So I guess we should keep an eye out for anyone or anything that looks suspicious," Makoto sighed as she crossed her arms.

       "I have a feeling that we won't know who or what we are dealing with, until the last possible minute," Hotaru softly said looking at the tiled floor. 

       The others nodded as they looked grimly at each other. Hopefully, the assassin would continue to do their dituies only halfway.

*~*~*~*

       _Rei found herself walking into a strangely lit room bathed in red lighting. There was something particularly eerie about this room. "It was not me," a voice softly said from behind the dark haired girl._

_       Quickly, Rei spun around and discovered what appeared to be a girl with the sad tragedy mask on. The senshi of fire could not really see who the mysterious girl was, only that green glowed through the eyes of the white mask as her dark curls blew in the breeze._

_       "Then who was it?" Rei said as she stared at the girl who then focused on the ground. _

_       "You can't stop her alone. Only silver and gold can bring to an end to the horror that you have been facing. Please, before it's too late." Suddenly the girl cried out in pain as a ripping sound filled the air. The masked girl fell to the ground as another figure appeared where she once stood._

_       "It is too late! You cannot stop my Dark Lord," a woman with the grinning tragedy sneered. Her masked oddly looked more sinister than it normally did. _

       Gold glowed through the eyes of the masked woman as long straight hair blew in the breeze. 

_       Suddenly, a knife appeared in the woman's hand and she threw it at Rei who screamed in terror._

_*~*~*~*_

       Rei suddenly awoke drenched in sweat. "Was that a vision?"

       Glancing around her surroundings, the raven-haired girl discovered that she was facing the fire in her grandfather's shrine. 'I must have fallen asleep trying to do a fire reading when that dream came to me, but could it actually explain what we are dealing with?'Raye thought as she looked intensely at the fire. 

       "Trying to discover my secrets are you?" a woman's voice sneered from behind the girl.

       Whipping her head around she found a tall woman with black hair streaked with red and wearing a long black coat pointing a gun straight at Rei. 

       "Yes, but it would be much easier if you told us who you work for. You had already stated that this was your duty, but I do not understand why," the dark haired girl calmly said as she took out her henshin wand to transform. Unfortunately, before Rei could even say one word, the wand was shot out of her hand.

       "Ah ah ah ah. This would be no fun if you were to transform on me now would it?" Kalika smiled innocently before bursting into a fit of giggles. "Now really, why do you want to know? You won't be alive much longer anyway."

       Rei watched the insane woman carefully. 'She actually enjoys this?! What kind of psychopath are we dealing with?' Swallowing thickly, the girl suddenly felt very nervous. 'She seems to be sloppy and can't finish what she starts, or is she actually leading us on, trying to torture us into wondering who is going to die next?' 

       The senshi of fire suddenly gasped when she realized that this was the same woman from her dream. The evil one who told her it was too late. "If she is the evil one then who was the girl-"

       "Talking to yourself? Well, you better say goodbye because I'm afraid that will be your last conversation," Kalika snidely remarked as she aimed the pistol at Rei. The teen tried to dive for cover, but wasn't fast enough as the sound of the gun being fired rang in her ears followed an intense pain echoing through her body. She heavily fell to the ground like a dead duck during hunting season.

       "Too bad. We could have had such fun," the woman pouted as she turned around and left the shrine as Rei was lying in a pool of her own blood.

*~*~*~*

       Hotaru glanced around her darkly lit room as she clung on to her backpack. "Well, this it," she softly murmured as she left the room and rushed quickly past her father's room. The violet-haired girl tried to block out the sound of his painful wheezing and hacking coughs. Her father's labored breathing still rang in her ears long after she had shut the door to the house and locked it behind her.

       Taking a deep breath, Hotaru found herself leaning against the door as tears flooded her eyes. 'Too much, there is too much pain here. In this town. In this world.'

       Feeling a little more collected she looked up at the sky as she wiped her tears out of her violet eyes and then sought out to flee the world that didn't hold any joy or happiness to her. Escape.

*~*~*~*

       "Okay, water is set at a boil, and the veggies are already cut. All I need to do is cook the rice and vegetables after I finish up the shrimp and then I'll only have dessert left to finish," Makoto said to herself as she checked to make sure the pot of boiling water didn't run over. 

       There were so many things on the girl's mind that it felt great to just forget about everything and concentrate on her first love, cooking.  

       "Oh look, the little tough girl can cook," a dark haired woman sarcastically said, startling the brunette who spun around in surprise..

       "How did you get in here?!" Makoto demanded when suddenly Kalika slammed her over the head with a small hammer, knocking the other girl unconscious as she slumped against the sink.

       "Oh dear me! Now you can't finish cooking dinner! Here let me turn things up for you," The woman then threw a rag on the burner, which quickly caught on fire. "Well, look at that, I started a fire! I guess I better leave so I don't get in trouble.  Hope you like it hot,"  the woman whispered as she fled the apartment as Makoto remained on the floor while her beautiful apartment began filling up with smoke.


	13. A Clear Vision

A Double Edged Sword Part 13

 A Clear Vision

by

Sailor Janus

'Escape. It sounds like such a wonderful word but why hasn't any good come to it?' Hotaru thought as she shifted the weight of her heavy bag. The girl had been gone for almost an hour trying to make her way to the train station. Of course with what little money she had, Hotaru knew it wouldn't take her too far. 

       "Why am I doing this?! I don't even know where I can go let alone actually buy food and find a place to stay," the violet-eyed girl sighed as she came to a stop at a park bench. "Why can't things suddenly become better? I can't stand this!" 

       Hotaru's communicator then began to beep, but instead of answering it, she took it off and shoved in deep into her bag, muffling the sound. 

       Just then she saw a girl her age with long curly burgundy hair wearing a short blue dress and appeared to look rather confused.

       "Deidera!" Hotaru called out, startling the teenager, "What are you doing here?"

       "Hi, Hotaru, I was about to ask you the same exact thing," the green-eyed girl smiled as she ran up to Hotaru. "Do you want to get some tea or ice cream, or something?"

       The dark-haired girl's eyes brightened at the question. "Sure," Hotaru smiled as she stood up and together the girls went to find a place to eat at.

       "So do you always carry all your worldly possessions with you or is it just special for today?" Deidera asked as she flipped a strand of hair out of her eyes. '"You're running away aren't you."

       Hotaru's face reddened at the question. Taking a deep breath she replied, "Yeah. Everything has just gotten out of control. Something is going terribly wrong and now everyone is pretty freaked. Basically it's a mixture of things concerning my friends and…. my father."

       "Oh. I'm sorry."

       "I just feel like everything is my fault and that escape right now is my only solution," the dark-haired girl continued on.

       Deidera  giggled slightly. "I know the feeling. You try your hardest to do good and then BOOM! It becomes even worse than before. Everyone thinks I'm trouble. The kids at school, people on the street, and even my own spinster of an aunt who I  live with. She doesn't care about me. Hell, half the time, she doesn't even feed me. I have to fend for myself. The only thing she does care about was the money my dead parents left in the will."       

       Hotaru kicked a stone in the road as she continued her rant. "It's just so unfair! I'm the youngest of my friends so naturally no one asks my opinion and of course there is always the comments on how much of a handful I can be!"

       "At least you have friends. Try searching country after country for basically a sense of belonging and when you think you finally found it, expecting everyone to welcome you with open arms, they instead turn their backs on you and give you a trial!" the burgundy-haired girl bitterly said as she threw her hands up in the air.

       "Well, they did try to kill me when they discovered who I was," Hotaru softly said. She didn't really understand why she was going to tell Deidera who she was, but the new girl was a sailor senshi after all. Maybe she'd have some answers as far as what was going on.

       Deidera froze in her tracks then stared at Hotaru wide-eyed. "Wait...you're...you're....you're one of them! You are one of the sailor senshi I met when I got my powers," she whispered sotly so no one could over hear the conversation.

      The other girl nodded her head. "Yes, Janus. I'm Sailor Saturn. I was one of the ones that defended you against the other outer senshi."

      "So were they the ones that tried to kill you?"

      Hotaru nodded quietly. "Yes, it was a big misunderstanding, and a very long story."

      "Well, I know who to avoid at all costs. Hope that's not their way of being friendly, yeesh," Deidera shuddered then giggled. She tossed her curls behind one shoulder and smiled at Hotaru. "At least I know one person accepts me for who I am."

       The senshi of Saturn smiled back. "Don't worry. They're not always like that."

       "You mean they DO know how to be nice in a normal sense?"

       "Yes they do," Hotaru laughed then paused in thought. "Deidera, do you know who you are? What you symbolize?"

       The girl sighed in response. "It's a little confusing. I-I  really don't know. For some reason, it feels like something is blocking my memories."

       Hotaru smiled and grabbed her friend's hand. "Come on. I have an idea," she said as she dragged her friend in the opposite direction.

       "Where-where are we going?" Deidera asked as she was trying to keep up.

       "To transform. I have a feeling it might help you remember a few things that should prove to be important."

*~*~*~*

       Yuuichirou Kumada was busy sweeping the grounds of the shrine even though it was Rei's job, but he didn't mind. She had practically begged him to finish up her chores because there was something more important that she had to do, and then promptly left to do another fire reading.

       The tall dark-haired man didn't understand why she was constantly running to the hospital and then as soon as she returned, she continued her fire readings. Sometimes Yuuichirou had even heard her shout out in frustration. He often wondered why she was doing the readings more than usual, but shrugged off the thought. He knew the raven-haired girl would never tell him.

       The rock star was lost in his own thoughts when suddenly a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot, rang through the air. 

       "Wow! That sounded close. I better go check on Rei," he said to himself as he threw down the rake and raced up to the shrine where Rei normally did her fire readings. 

       "Hey, Rei! Did you hear something that sounded like a gun shot?" Yuuichirou asked as he ran into the room and then froze at the sight of the girl lying very still on the ground. "Rei? Are you okay?"

       Slowly the man inched toward the girl and then gaped at the sight of blood. "REI! NOOOO!"  he cried out as he reached out to turn her over.

       "Please don't be dead! Rei! Are you still alive?! Speak to me!"

       The dark-haired girl's closed eyes twitched as she slowly opened them, only to come face to face with a very frantic Yuuichirou. "Kamada?"

       "Rei! You're still alive! Who did this to you! I'll kill them!"

       The girl attempted to sit up but a sharp pain forced her down. "Ow, please call the hospital. I need a doctor now!" 

       The man looked quizzically at Rei and where she was bleeding. "But didn't you get shot in the heart?"

       Raye was now very aggravated because of the pain. "She missed. She got me in the shoulder instead. Now call the hospital!"

*~*~*~*

       "So where are we going?" Deidera asked as Hotaru led her to wherever she was taking them.

       "To my house that way we can transform without anyone else seeing," Hotaru answered as she glanced at Deidera who was cradling her hand, trying to stop the bleeding. "What happened to your hand? It's bleeding."

       "Oh, I accidentally cut it on some glass. I guess it opened up again."

       Hotaru stopped and turned towards her friend. Suddenly her hand began to glow and she gently placed it on Deidera's cut before taking her hand away. The cut was completely healed.

       "Wow! Cool trick! I wish I had powers like that. All I can do is write spooky poetry, which lately I don't even know where it comes from. It just appears. Not very useful, but kinda entertaining."

       Hotaru smiled as she continued walking towards her home. "That is also the power that alienated me from all the kids at school. They thought it was weird and that I was witch or something. So they were afraid, and stayed away from me."

       "Well, my poetry keeps other people away. They just find it too dark and disturbing. Like my latest one."

       "Can I see it?" Hotaru curiously asked.  

       "Sure." Deidera took out her notebook and flipped it to the right page before handing it to Hotaru.

       _Humiliate me. Beat me. Change me. Control me. You try. Tear me down so I become ashamed of whom I am. Make me want to cry, die, and even kill. But you will not rule me. I will regain control once again and it will be your undoing.  I will never become you. We are two separate entities which I will sacrifice my own self to prevent what you have chosen to be the future. Alone and only with my humility and will, I shall destroy you. Even if it takes my last breath._

       Hotaru blinked at the words on the paper. "Wow."

       "I know. I don't even remember writing it. To think I used to write such nice poems about love and dreams, now it's nothing but death, and hate," Deidera sighed as she took her notebook back.

       "Look, we're here."

*~*~*~*

       Mamoru was lost in thought about Usagi as he drove back to his apartment when he suddenly smelled smoke. "What in the world?" he said as he glanced up at the building next to him. It was Makoto's apartment. 

       "I have a bad feeling about this," the man said as he pulled over and jumped out of the car. With lightening speed he tore through the doors of the building and heading up the long flight of stairs.

       "Please let it be a false alarm! I can't take anymore trips to the hospital," Mamoru gasped as he finally reached the brunette's floor. 

       Racing through the hallway, he came to a stop at Makoto's door smelling the familiar odor of smoke.

       "No! Makoto! Let me in!" Mamoru screamed out as he pounded on the door. 'Why haven't the smoke detectors gone off yet?!'

       "Need a key?"

       Turning around the young man came face to face with Setsuna holding out a silver key.

       "Setsuna!"

       "Here, let me do it," the woman said as she quickly unlocked the door then pushed the door open as she cover her mouth and nose with her sleeve. Mamoru  shoved past her, he too, covering his nose and mouth with his sleeve.

       "MAKOTO! WHERE ARE YOU?!" the two adults yelled out as they ran into the small apartment and headed towards the kitchen. It didn't take long before they found the girl's motionless figure sprawled out on the tile floor.

       Quickly Mamoru picked up the emerald-eyed girl and rushed out of the apartment as Setsuna doused the flames with a fire extinguisher.

       Gently the tall dark-haired man placed Makoto on the floor outside her apartment door. "Makoto. Mako, wake up!"

       Slowly the girl opened her eyes and began coughing just as Setsuna left the apartment as well.

       "Fire is out. What happened, Makoto? It was Kalika wasn't it," the green-haired woman calmly said as the coughing girl sat up.

       "Yeah it was her. Damn, that witch! She hit me over the head with something and set the fire to make sure I wouldn't come out of there alive I guess," the senshi of thunder bitterly said as she continued to choke on the smoke.

       "She must have disabled the smoke detectors as well. There was more than enough smoke to set them off," Mamoru mentioned as the two women nodded their heads in agreement. 

       "Do you remember if she said anything to you?" Setsuna asked as she and Mamoru helped Makoto to her feet.

       "Not anything important. No. She just mocked the fact that I can cook. Hmph! She probably can't even boil water!"

       Suddenly Setsuna and Makoto's communicators went off. It was Minako.

       "Get to the hospital fast! Yuuichirou told me that someone shot Rei!"

       The three friends exchanged glances and sighed. "Looks like Kalika has been a busy girl. I'll drive," Mamoru said as they headed down the stairs.

*~*~*~*

       Lord Cacus stared at the orb flashing Kalika's recent ventures or what he preferred to call, failures. Angrily he smashed it down, breaking it in the process. 

       "I do not understand! Why isn't she killing them? She just goes so far and stops, why?!" the outraged man said as he turned to a glass cylinder. "And dear Janus, how dare you meddle with my affairs! I'm just glad I caught you after the fire incident when I did."

        The girl glared at him. "I do not know how you managed to capture me, but I will not stay in this form for long. Deidera shall awaken once again and I will be set free. You will never win," Sailor Janus calmly said, from the clear glass that she was imprisoned in.

       "Yes, but not before it's too late. You can no longer hold her back. Her next strike will be a kill!" 

       The burgundy-haired senshi stood firmly and stared at him silently. She knew that he was right. Since he gained access to the bracelets, with the aid of Hypnosia he managed to tear her completely from Deidera, leaving only Deidera herself and Kalika, in full control. The two-sided senshi hoped the girl had enough strength to keep control. 'If only she could remember to transform, then Kalika could be put temporarily out of commission until I can gain access to my power bracelets. Take care everyone. I only hope that I bought Rei enough time to realize her vision.'

*~*~*~*

       Mamoru, Setsuna, and Makoto arrived at the hospital around the same time Usagi, Minako, Ami, and Michiru had arrived. Usagi and Michiru were released from the hospital fully healed the other day and everyone agreed that they looked much better.

       The hospital staff glanced quizzically at the group who were rushing up to the reception desk to find out what room Rei was in. 

       "Back again?! You guys seem to be here everyday!" the short blonde haired woman said. "Alright. Who is it this time?"

       "Miss Rei Hino," Setsuna firmly said as the others crowded up behind her.

       "Right. She is on the same room your other friend Miss Haruka Tenoh is in. Please, be more careful with whatever is causing these constant visits."

        With a quick thank you, they ran to the elevator and punched in the floor number.

      "Geez, she acts like we've been here everyday," Minako grumbled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

      "Um, that's because we have," Ami winced.

      Minako blinked. "Right. I guess she did have a point there."

      "Hopefully, this will be the last time we'll be racing to someone's room," Makoto nodded.

      Just then the doors opened and the senshi once again, raced back to Haruka's room.

*~*~*~*

       "Rei! Are you okay?! We were so worried!" Usagi cried out as she threw her arms around her best friend who was wincing in slight pain.

       "Ow! Usagi! I'll be okay once you stop hugging me!" the dark-haired girl said as her friend blushed and wrapped her arms around Mamoru instead.

       "At least they placed you in the same room as Haruka. That way, we can still discuss further on the recent tragedies," Ami pointed out as she took a seat in a very uncomfortable plastic chair. 

       "Yeah, that is what I want to talk to you guys about." 

       "So Rei, where did she shoot you?" Minako asked looking very interested.

       "In the shoulder but that's not the point!"

       "She tried to cremate me in my apartment! That witch! Do you even know how long it's going to take me to get that burnt smell out?!" Makoto announced as she crossed her arms.

       "Guys-"

       "She seems to like being creative in her murder attempts. I wonder what she'll plan next?" Michiru said as she sat next to Haruka on the bed.

       "Listen-"

       "At least she has been unsuccessful so far," Ami added.

        Finally Rei couldn't take being interrupted any longer and lost it. "CAN YOU PLEASE SHUT UP! I HAVE SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT TO SAY!" 

       The room suddenly fell silent as everyone looked very embarrassed.

       "As I was saying, I think I had a vision before I was attacked."

       "What was it? Did it tell you who we are dealing with?" Haruka asked as she sat up, looking intently at the fiery girl in the bed next to hers.

       "It's hard to explain what was happening but I was in a room with red lighting and there was this girl wearing one of the sad tragedy masks. She seemed really desolate for some reason. She said 'It was not me' or something like that and that we can't stop her alone and then something about only gold and silver can put an end to this. Then suddenly she fell to the ground and another girl but appeared where she stood. She seemed really evil and said, 'It's too late and we can not stop her dark lord.' She was also wearing the grinning comedy mask but it looked very sinister on her."

       "Wow, so do you know who it might be, Rei?" Usagi questioned her friend who nodded in response.

       "I know that the evil one was Kalika. She had the same dark hair and golden eyes. The other girl I 'm not sure." Rei gazed at the group but realized someone was missing. "Where's Hotaru by the way?"

       "We don't know. She hasn't answered her communicator," Michiru softly said as she looked at her friends.

       "You don't think something happened to her do you?" Haruka nervously said.

       "I hope not. She may not be weak anymore, or a child but she is still as vulnerable as the rest of us." Setsuna said with a worried look on her face.

       During the conversation, Rei continued to think back to her vision and the sorrowful girl_. _'There is something oddly familiar about her, but what is it?' Suddenly she gasped. "I know who the other girl is but we have to find Hotaru!"

*~*~*~*

       "Wow! Your room looks so amazing!" Deidera exclaimed as she looked around at the lamps dimly lighting the room.

       "Yeah, dad, even said he'd let me paint my room lilac or lavender if I wanted," Hotaru beamed as her friend spun around the room.

       "Must be nice. To have someone who cares about you I mean. My aunt, let me keep my room decorated the way I liked, but that was it. Much better than the completely white walls. Reminded me too much of a mental institution."

       "Do want anything to eat or drink? I could get some tea," the dark haired girl said as she dropped her backpack in her closet.

       "Sure. Tea would be nice," Deidera smiled as Hotaru set off to make tea. 

       "Ow, not again," Deidera winced in pain as her head began to pound profusely. Dizziness soon took over and suddenly she collapsed to the carpeted floor.

*~*~*~*

       "I hope she like green tea, because that's all I can find," Hotaru softly said to herself.

       "Actually, I prefer a good shot of vodka but that's just me."       

       Hotaru spun around and gasped only to come face to face with a dark-haired woman with dark red streaks in her hair holding a deadly looking knife.

       "How did you get in here?!" the violet-eyed girl demanded of Kalika who snickered in response.

       "That's my little secret, sweetie. Just like my real identity and my mission."

       Slowly Hotaru placed her hand in her pocket in search of her henshin wand, and then grimaced when she realized that it was still in her bag.

       "Little girl forget her toy in her bag? That's too bad, but it'll be even worse when you dirty up your father's nice clean kitchen floor with your blood," Kalika mocked as she twirled the knife in her hand. 

       Hotaru stared at the woman. 'Okay, I should be able to handle her, if only I knew martial arts! All I have to do remember what Haruka taught me, and I should be okay.' 

       "Oh is that your father?" the woman asked as she pointed behind Hotaru. 

       The girl's eyes widened as she turned around only to her horror, Kalika, fooled her and stabbed her to the stomach instead.

       "False alarm," she sneered pulling the knife out of Hotaru's stomach as the girl gasped and then crumbled to the ground.


	14. Suicidal Tendencies

A Double Edged Sword Part 14

 Suicidal Tendencies 

by

Sailor Janus

Hotaru clutched her stomach as she tried to regain her composure, but the pain was too intense. She knew that the knife had plunged deeply into her body.

       "Why?" she gasped as she touched the woman's arm with her own bloody hand. The slowly dying girl looked up at Kalika with her violet eyes pleading for answers. 

       Suddenly, the woman's demeanor changed as she stared at the teen she stabbed practically to death. Shock shone on her face as she stared down at Hotaru. "No. What have I done?" she softly whispered as she dropped to her knees.

       Hotaru looked puzzled at the woman in front of her. "Deidera?" 

       Silently Kalika closed her eyes and whispered a few words, which the bleeding girl couldn't coherently understand. With a flash of gold and silver, Deidera was now kneeling next to the dark-haired girl.

       Tears wiled up in Deidera's eyes as she watched in horror as Hotaru fell back to the floor, her breath growing shallower.

       "No! Hotaru! Please, I am sorry but you can't die! Don't die," she cried out as Professor Tomoe entered the room. 

       "Hotaru? What are you doing?! No! Hotaru," the man shouted out. He then turned his attention to the bloody knife still in Deidera's hand. Realizing he was staring at it she promptly dropped it to the floor. Suddenly he began to groan as his eyes glazed over  and collapsed to the ground. 

       "It's not what you think! Professor Tomoe?! Professor Tomoe?!" the burgundy-haired shook her head in denial and turned back to her friend. She took a hold of both of the girl's hands, placing them to her bleeding stomach. "Hotaru. Hotaru! Come on! Please you have to heal yourself! Please try! SOMEONE HELP ME! PLEASE!" Deidera yelled hysterically.

       The dark-haired girl closed her eyes and murmured, " Deidera, I-I'm sorry but I can't. I feel so weak."

       "No, damn it! You've got to try! Please you can't die," the tear stricken jade green-eyed girl said as she pressed Hotaru's hands harder to her stomach. Miraculously, a faint violet glow emitted from the dying girl's hands as Deidera looked on in amazement.

       "Please let it be enough. Please don't let me be too late," she softly said as she closed her eyes. 

       Within minutes Hotaru's breathing was back to normal. "Good." Deidera sighed when she suddenly heard voices. 'Oh no, please not them! They'll just accuse me of this mess! There's only one thing left for me to do.' Rising to her feet the girl quickly raced to Hotaru's room and grabbed her notebook. She flipped the pages frantically before finding the right one. Deidera tore it out and placed it next to Hotaru. 

       "I wish we could have been better friends. I know we both could use one right about now but this is the only way. Thank you, for being my friend. Goodbye." 

       With those last words, she escaped from the house only to run into the inner senshi, part of the group that she was trying to avoid.

       "Deidera!" Rei exclaimed as she stared at the girl who looked like she had been crying for hours, and gasped at the sight of the girl's bloody hands.

       Gazing down at what Rei and the others were staring at, Deidera realized how guilty she must look right now and began sobbing as she frantically cried out, "I didn't do it!" I didn't do it! I know what it must look like but it's not my fault!"

       "Wait, Deidera! What is that on your hands?!" Minako asked as the others opened their mouths but no words came out.

       Deidera backed away shaking her head. She appeared like she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She swallowed then tried to calmly speak but instead everything ran together while choking on the words. "I-I don't know what happened! I was s-suddenly holding a-a knife and-and Hotaru's blood! And-and then her father came and he-he-he fell. All the blood! But I didn't do it! I didn't do it I tell you! I-I have to go!" 

       "Deidera!" Ami yelled as the girl turned on her heel and fled the scene.

       "Forget about her! We have to see if Hotaru's still alive," Makoto urged as she raced and the others raced into the house, only to find that Setsuna and Michiru had already beat them there. 

       "Hotaru!" Usagi screamed as she stopped in front of the scene. Setsuna was checking the pulse of the professor and Michiru tended to the girl lying in a pool of blood. "Is she?"

       "Yes, she's still alive," the aqua-haired girl sighed with relief.

       "Yes, but her father isn't in very good of shape," Setsuna grimly said from the man's side before hurrying off to find a phone to call the ambulance.

       The group of friends exchanged glances as dread filled them. Just then, Hotaru's eyes fluttered open as she began to wake up.

       "Hotaru! Are you okay?" Ami asked, pleased to see that the girl was conscious again.

       "Yes, thanks to Deidera. She helped me heal myself. Where is she?" the senshi of destruction softly said as she glanced at her friends.

       "She ran off," Makoto muttered crossing her arms in disgust.

       Blinking, Hotaru looked up at the tall brunette confusedly. "Was she okay?"

       Rei knew she better break the news to the girl about Deidera sometime. Taking a deep breath she calmly said, "Hotaru. Deidera is Kalika."

       The girl looked up at the fire senshi and quietly said, "I know, but that is not the real Deidera. I've got to find her before it's too late!" Carefully, Hotaru climbed to her feet and tried to finish healing herself. It took a lot longer than normal, probably because of how much damage her body was in, but within a few minutes she was fully healed. "I'm going now."

       "Hotaru! Don't! Leave her be," Michiru said as she grabbed the girl's arm.

       Hotaru turned abruptly and looked coldly at everyone in the room. "No, you don't understand. She is going to do something drastic if someone doesn't stop her! I know it!" 

       "But how do you know?" Minako challenged the younger girl.

      The senshi of Saturn glared in return and shook off Michiru's hand. "She was not the one who was attempting to kill us. She didn't even know what was happening," the violet-eyed girl spoke, as she looked each person in the eye. "Her poetry is like a premonition. There was one about blood on her hands, some of that was mine, and the rest, will probably happen in the future. There was another one about her being controlled, and Deidera not wanting to become a part of it, that was about Kalika and whoever wants us dead. But if this doesn't scream, she's going to do something potentially tragic, then nothing will." 

       Grabbing the folded and blood smeared paper from the floor, Hotaru shoved it in the violinist's hands Then stalked out of the house full of speechless sailor senshi.

       "What could have given her such ideas?" Rei muttered as she glanced at her friends when suddenly Michiru gasped out in shock. "You guys need to read this!"

       "What?" Ami said as she and the other girls crowded around the sheet of paper as Michiru shook her head in denial.

       _Goodbye the world that met me in vain. I never valued you anyway. The powerful wind whips my hair across my face as I look down upon the world before taking flight. Leaping gracefully into the blue sky then plummet to the hard cold earth below. Falling, crashing, crumbling as I hit the ground. The bittersweet pain filling my body and every bone shatters like glass. My blood painting the pavement red Sacrifice myself; I must in order to prevent another massacre. Ironically, the final death shall be my own. _

       Everyone stared dumbfounded at the paper, realizing that perhaps, there were still missing pieces to the puzzle, which may be more complex than they perceived it to be.

*~*~*~*

       "So this is it. This is where I take flight and flee from the disaster that is my reality," Deidera said softly, staring down at the ground below as the wind whipped through her burgundy curls. She was standing on the roof of the one place that always seemed to display its hatred towards the girl. The high school.

       "Deidera. Don't do it!" 

       Turning around, the determined teen came face to face with the girl who was feared to be dead. Hotaru.

       "Hotaru, stay away. I may turn into that evil woman any minute now! Anyway this is the best way I can think of to prevent any more pain from happening to your friends. I'm just surprised I didn't think of it sooner."

       Hotaru took a small step forward, hoping she could reason with the girl. "But killing yourself? There has to be a better way."

       Sorrowfully, Deidera looked down at the ground below carefully examining the pavement. "I wish I knew of one," she softly whispered as she began walking carefully, around the edge of the building. "Do think I would fall really fast or in slow motion like in the movies, watching my whole life flash before my eyes?" Slowly Deidera approached the edge as she continued to study the hard ground.  "I wonder if I would actually feel every bone in my body shatter like glass?"

       'She's quoting from the poem. I've got to do something,' Hotaru realized as she watched her friend and tried to grab the girl's hand, which shrugged her away. "Deidera stop. You're scaring me. There has got to be another way!"

       Deidera closed her eyes as if the words almost pained her, "I can't let her try to kill again. This world holds no value to me anyway. It's just filled with broken promises, neglect, abuse, and fear."

       Hotaru grimaced as she too stepped up on the edge and tried to hold her balance as she wavered a bit. Deidera looked at the girl in shock. "What are you doing?! Get back down!"

       Gritting her teeth the dark-haired girl looked her friend in the eye. "If you are going then I am too. I have already lost enough as it is!"

       Deidera gaped at the girl then became angry as she hissed, "Look, I said it was not my fault! I didn't mean to try to kill your friends! It wasn't even the real me." 

       "No, I'm talking about watching my father slowly die. It's going to happen. I have been given several chances to live. Unfortunately, he only has one. Once he is gone, where am I going to go?! I have no one," she quietly said as her eyes flooded with tears. Angrily she wiped them away and glanced up at Deidera and smiled. "Right now, you are truly my only friend. You're the only one that understands me. The others seem to look at me like a little sister or daughter. You on the other hand actually know what it's like to stand where I do. Where everyone thinks you're a freak as well as how it is to feel so alone in a crowded room." Silently, Hotaru stepped off the edge and back onto the roof as Deidera watched her. 

       Biting her lip, Deidera turned so she too could leap to safety, but to her horror, the sudden change in weight caused the section that she was standing on to crumble, breaking free of the building and sending the girl plummeting to the ground below.


	15. The Awakening

A Double Edged Sword Part 15

 The Awakening

by

Sailor Janus

Hotaru raced to the ledge of the building screaming as Deidera fell to the ground below. "Deidera! NOOOOO!" she cried out, covering her eyes not wanting to see her friend's body slam against the solid pavement of the sidewalk.

       During the fall, however, the burgundy-haired girl tried to remain calm and twisted her body to the point where she could safely land slightly on her feet, which turned into a roll in the grass to decrease the risk of damage to her legs. Fortunately, she pulled off the maneuver perfectly. Lying on the school lawn, she stared dazedly at the sky. After the realization that she was still alive hit, the girl released a deep sigh and thanked the gymnastics she learned in France, and the different styles of martial arts she learned everywhere from America to South Korea and finally at Japan. Slowly she rolled over and gingerly climbed to her feet, hoping that she didn't sprain anything during her landing, which to the girl's surprise, she did not.

"Hey Hotaru! Are you okay up there?!" 

       Blinking, Hotaru tore her hands from her face and peered over the ledge of the building only to find Deidera Doubre looking surprisingly alive. "Deidera, you- you survived, but how?"

       The girl giggled as she watched Hotaru disappear from the sight, more than likely to run down the stairs of the building so they could talk without shouting. Once Hotaru finally caught up, Deidera began to explain her amazing skills. "I guess you say it helps to have taken both gymnastics and martial arts. They both taught me how to fall and catch myself without breaking any bones or well, dying."

       The dark-haired girl stared at her as they began walking down the sidewalk away from the school. "But weren't you about to kill yourself?"

       Deidera looked at the ground and studied the cracks in the concrete as she spoke, "Yeah, except, I wasn't going land on my feet as I just did. It would have been my head that time. Anyway, you shouldn't be here."

       Hotaru wasn't going to stand being pushed away. She really needed a friend right now fearing the worse for her father, but couldn't bear to show her face in the hospital once again. She had already spent enough of her time in that building with the white walls reeking of disinfectant. "Do you remember anything about the Silver Millennium?" she asked trying to change the subject hoping Deidera wasn't going to attempt to take her life again.

       The green-eyed girl thought hard at the question. "I don't think I have been awakened that far yet," she softly answered.

       The violet-eyed teen glanced around at their surroundings and realized that there was no one else around. "Deidera, do you have your henshin wand with you?"

       "I- yes I do. Why?" 

       "There is no one else here and I have a gut feeling for some reason, that if you change into Sailor Janus, some pieces to the puzzle would fall into place."

       Deidera thought of this for a moment when suddenly her head began to ache. 'No! This is not going to happen again! I won't let you take control!'

       Hotaru noticed that the girl had a very intense look on her face and knew there was trouble. "Deidera, what's wrong? It's happening again isn't it? Transform quick!"

       The burgundy-haired girl gritted her teeth, and balled her hands into fists fighting to keep control. She closed her eyes briefly and grabbing her henshin wand from her pocket. 'It's now, or never.'She thought drawing a deep breath and shot her hand up in the air then yelled, "Janus Planet Power!"

       Suddenly the pain vanished and the appearance of Sailor Janus took on her own. After she finished transforming, Janus turned to Hotaru and smiled. "Thank you, Hotaru. You saved me. Lord Cacus, the man that took control of Deidera's evil personality, imprisoned me in his fortress. The only way I could escape, was if she transformed."

       "Who is Lord Cacus?" Hotaru asked quizzically.

       Sailor Janus looked sadly at the girl. "He was my love in the Silver Millennium, or so I thought, but he used me for his own benefits." 

       Janus reminisced to the past that she wished to forget. The past before the Silver Millennium fell. 

*~*~*~*

_       "Once again, I am standing at this boring gate alone. Perhaps Saturn will stop by, but then again, she has been so busy as well. Oh well, once again, I am a lone soldier partaking in my duty, to guard the dimensional gates," Janus sighed as she stood at the threshold of the gates of her planet which protected the galaxy from intruders of other worlds._

_       "Are you by any chance, the beautiful Princess Janus, of the double-faced planet?" a voice said from behind her._

_       Spinning around, the burgundy-haired princess found herself facing the most wonderful man she had ever seen. He had  silver hair streaked with gold and the most incredible emerald green eyes, which rivaled her own jade one; he was indeed a sight to see._

_ "And who, might I ask are you?" Janus asked breathlessly as she stared at his eyes, feeling like she could lose herself in them._

_       "Lord Cacus. It is my pleasure, princess," the man answered and he took her hand and kissed it in a slight bow._

_       From then on, Princess Janus looked forward to his visits. The other princesses, however, did not approve of him and thought Janus was acting quite foolish. Even her own best friend tried to talk the enraptured girl out of the growing relationship. Sadly, that was last time the two spoke. _

_       "Janus, I believe you are moving too fast and should slow down, not to mention that I think he has been blinding you from what he really is," Saturn said gently hoping she could help her best friend realize what a mistake she was making._

_       "No, you just don't want me to be happy! Do you even know what it's like to stand alone and guard these gates?! It's lonely and boring! I am still young and deserve to have something good to happen to me but if you can't accept it then I guess our friendship is off!" _

_       Saturn gaped at her friend. She couldn't really mean that, could she? Shaking herself out of disbelief, the dark-haired princess continued on, her violet eyes glowing with urgency.  "Janus, there is something really corrupt about Lord Cacus! He is using you! Can't you see that?!" _

_       The burgundy-haired princess could no longer handle more lectures from anyone. Not even her best friend. "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP! I don't want to hear anymore of this, this nonsense! If you can't be happy for me, then leave! I don't want to see you or hear from you ever again! I don't need you! I love him and if you can't accept that then go! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! LEAVE NOW!" Abruptly, the princess turned away waiting for her ex-friend to depart from the two-faced planet._

_       Saturn looked away as she left, never looking back to see if perhaps, Janus really did come to her senses. After the abuse that Saturn just took, she didn't care._

_       After that unfortunate day, Lord Cacus had complete control over Janus's emotions allowing him to persuade her into permitting anyone whom he wished into the dimension, including, Queen Beryl._

_       "Cacus, why do you want her in this world? I sense nothing but evil from her," Janus questioned her love as he snickered at the girl._

_       "Don't be so paranoid, Janus! She is safe, not to mention, she is your mother," the man lied as he tried to coax his girlfriend into allowing the woman into the dimension mainly, because she offered the gold and silver haired man, control over half of the galaxy's kingdoms. Lord Cacus wanted power, and by using his girlfriend who happened to be a princess as well as the senshi of dimensions, he practically had free reign, not to mention the smitten girl was twisted around his little finger._

_       "Really? Are you sure?" _

_       "Janus, my princess," he whispered, wrapping his arms around the girl. "Would I ever lie to you?"_

_       The princess hesitated a moment, before allowing Queen Beryl through the dimensional gates. This, however, was the biggest mistake of the young princess's life._

_       "Why, thank you, my dear. I shall pay you back for your generosity three-fold," the woman sneered as the princess's face fell, realizing that she had been deceived._

_       "No. What have I done?" _

_       "You just sentenced this pitiful world to a war, that is what you have done, child," Queen Beryl said as she crackled with dark energy._

_       Janus turned to Lord Cacus, "Why?! Why did you lie to me?! I thought you loved me!"_

_       "Loved? Ha! Why would I love a sniveling little brat such as you, princess? I wanted power and you had power so quite frankly, I used you."_

_       The princess shook her head as tears flooded her jade green eyes. Taking a deep breath she was filled with rage. "I shall destroy you," she breathed. "I SHALL DESTROY ALL OF YOU!"_

_*~*~*~*_

       "Deidera? Deidera? Are you okay?" Hotaru asked worriedly as she looked at her friend who was still Sailor Janus.

       Blinking, Deidera came out of her trance. "Huh? Yeah, I'm okay. I remember now."

       "What do you remember?" 

       "Everything about the Silver Millennium. I also want to say, I'm sorry for the actions that took place back then. I was very wrong and very stupid and if it were not for me, then the Silver Millennium would not have fallen. They were right. I was to blame," Sailor Janus said as she transformed back into Deidera. "And I am gonna kill that bastard for everything that he has done!"

       "Okay, we're gonna need a plan. Let's go find the others," Hotaru said as she turned on her communicator, only to be stopped by Deidera. 

       "No, this is my mess and I'm the one that is going to have to clean it up, no one else. Sorry, but if anyone gets hurt then I won't forgive myself. Goodbye, Saturn," Deidra, sternly said as she turned and ran away from her friend.

       Hotaru watched the burgundy-haired girl leave, wishing she could convince her that taking on Lord Cacus by herself was probably was not the best idea. "We're gonna help you whether you like it or not, Deidera." Hotaru sighed before she reported the news to the other sailor senshi on her communicator. 

            "Everyone, we have a problem. Deidera plans on fighting Lord Cacus alone," Hotaru reported, hoping they would agree to help.

            "You mean she didn't kill herself?" Minako said with a slight amount of confusion. "Is that a good thing?"

            "Listen, her memories are back and so are mine of the Silver Millennium. She was used." 

            Setsuna nodded, "We'll be there. I think I know where he might be hiding out at."

Hotaru quickly ended transmission and ran in the direction which the senshi of dimensions headed towards. "Deidera, don't do anything stupid! I can't lose anymore people in my life!"

*~*~*~*

       Sailor Janus was filled with rage as she approached Lord Cacus's fortress, which was no more than an abandoned warehouse. "Dark, dank, and dirty. Totally, perfect for you," the girl drawled as she transformed into Kalika. "Never thought I'd do this again, except this time, I'm in control." Deidera glanced down at herself and raised an eyebrow. "Well…. At least the clothes aren't too bad." With a smirked she headed in the building. 

Janus was shocked to see what the inside looked like. It was bathed completely in red light. Slinking down the hall, she tried to trigger Kalika's memories so she wouldn't look suspicious. 'At least he smashed that damn sphere. Now I don't have to worry about him knowing I've been awakened,' she thought entering Lord Cacus's quarters_. _'This is it.'

       "What a surprise to see you, my dark goddess," the man grinned as he strolled up to the girl but suddenly froze, sensing there was something different. "What is the matter, my little predator?"

      'Ugh, not those pet names again!' Janus smirked as she seductively walked up to him and whispered in his ear, " I am no longer a little plaything for you to do what you like with. I'm finally cutting the strings on you. You have control no more Lord Cacus. Kalika is dead and Sailor Janus reigns over all!"

       "You! How the hell did you get free?!" 

      The woman stepped back and threw her hair off her shoulder.  "It doesn't matter. You used and violated me for your own personal agenda once again proving to be are the lowest form of flesh ever to exist. I loathe you and will make you pay, Lord Cacus, even if it means my own death," Janus shouted, as she broke free of Kalika's image. 

       The sinister man looked at the girl and laughed. "How do you expect to do that when you don't even have full power?!"

       The burgundy-haired senshi smirked, "Simple. By taking back what is mine."

       "And what is that?" the man asked sounding bored.

       "My bracelets, "she answered matter of factly while flicking her wrists to which the bracelets appeared appeared. "You didn't think that I'd still forget about them, did you? Because if so, then that was very foolish. Thank you for keeping them safe though. I'll need to show you my gratitude." With a finally glare to her ex, she brought her wrists together in which with a flash of light, she transformed into Super Sailor Janus, holding one silver fan and one gold one. "I am the two-sided soldier of light and dark. Guarding the gates to other realms beyond this dimension, I am Sailor Janus and I shall end your reign of terror forever!"  

       "Well, two can play that game. Chimaera! Hypnosia! Get in here!" Lord Cacus yelled, but they never appeared.

       "Too, bad. I guess the help won't arrive," she grinned. 'The other sailor senshi must already be here.'

       "What?!" 

       "It's just you and me Cacusy." Janus giggled in a mocking tone. 

       "Let's see how well you like having a sword shoved through your stomach," the silver and gold haired man growled grabbing his gold engraved silver sword off the wall. It was truly of fine craftsmanship, but did it even stand a chance against the senshi of dimensions? 

       "Rather than through my back? Probably not much difference," the girl quipped back, crossing her arms, her fans still tightly in her grasp. Fury filled Cacus as he rushed Janus who sidestepped him then took a swipe at the man with her silver fan, drawing blood to his face. "Sorry. Did I forget to mention that these things were sharp?"

       Cacus struck again but this time to Janus's head, which she blocked with an X-block with the aid of her fans.

       "Too bad Cacusy. Guess you must be all talk, huh?"

       "Quit patronizing me, you foolish girl! Let's see how you like the taste of my dark powers," he cackled, throwing a ball of black energy at the green-eyed girl who dove for cover only to be blasted by it, throwing her roughly to the floor.

       "Ugh!" Janus groaned. Slowly she climbed to her feet, joining the two fans together into a larger one. 

       The color suddenly drained from the man's face. "You're not going to..."

       "United Fan Radiance!"  Janus cried out as gold and silver colored energy struck Lord Cacus sending him flying against the wall. 

       "You will pay for that!" the man grumbled as he rose to his feet and snatched his fallen sword from the ground. With a battle cry he raced up to the burgundy haired girl, ready to take her head but her reflexes were much quicker. Unfortunately as she ducked he sliced off some of her hair in the process. 

       "You-you cut my hair, you bastard!" Janus cried out as she examined the hair on the ground realizing that she was probably going to have to cut it, if she survives of course. The girl knew that Lord Cacus was toying with her, and that he had something far more devious planned. She had to be ready.

       Snickering, the evil man swung his sword around, and stabbed the distracted Sailor Janus in the stomach. 

       Crumbling to her knees while clutching her stomach she gasped. "I knew I'd see blood again." She drew a breath and thought. 'Of course, my poem. Lucky me. I'm a psychic poet. Of course it's not doing me any good at the moment'. Sensing that her ex was about to attack again, Janus separated and threw the silver fan, slicing Lord Cacus in the arm.  

       "You, bitch," he yelled while clutching the blood gushing arm. 

       Suddenly, the man's eyes went coal black, as he began to turn into what he always had been. A monster. Black smoke soon filled the room, as his skin went gray and wings appeared on the man's back. Lastly, his face became very serpent-like. 

       "The ugliness inside you has enveloped the outside as well, " Janus whispered as she rose to her feet. "His inner demon."

       "Janus! What are you doing?!" Eternal Sailor Moon yelled as she and the other senshi raced into the room.

       "Stay back! This is my fight and I must do it alone," Sailor Janus sternly said, keeping one eye on the monster. 'Just what are you planning to do?'

       "Janus! We can help you!" Saturn shouted as she looked at her friend. 

       "No, This was my fault to begin with and I'm afraid that you'll all be a big liability to me. Please go." 

       At that moment, Lord Cacus chose to strike, unleashing every ounce of dark energy towards Janus, who was unfortunately distracted.

       Gasping, she jumped out of the way but was too late, allowing the energy to slam into her already well-abused body.

       "JANUS!" the others cried out as Lord Cacus's energy slammed door the shut, locking them out.

       "Oh no! We have to do something!" Venus worriedly said.

       Sailor Mars thought for a second. "What about Sailor transport?" 

       Pluto instead sadly shook her head, "No, there is too much power in that room. He has shut us off completely."

       "I guess all we can do is wait," the aqua haired senshi whispered.

       "This is not fair! He is going to kill her and there is not anything we can do about it!" Eternal Sailor Moon sobbed as Tuxedo Kamen hugged her.

       "This is what she wants. To put an end to what she had caused," Saturn quietly said as she leaned against her Silence Glaive.

       "At least we beat those two witches, although I did not appreciate being hypnotized into seeing plane crashes," Jupiter muttered, pounding her hand against the wall.

       The others soon fell quiet, wondering who the victor would be.

*~*~*~*

       Sailor Janus groaned as she picked her head up, coughing up blood. 'There has to be some way to defeat him! Damn it! If only I knew how! One more hit may finish me off for good.' 

       Lord Cacus sent another blast her way. Fortunately Janus managed to dodge this one as she rolled against the floor, before rising to her feet to retaliate. "Spiral Twisters!" Janus screamed as she brought the two small twisters in her hands together into one big one, forcing them towards the demon, sending it back against the wall. Noticing that the monster appeared to be in a dazed stupor, the girl took advantage of his handicap. 'Please work. 'Bringing her fans back together Janus yelled, "United Fan Radiance!" 

       The gold and silver energy flashed as it hit the monster, causing a large explosion as every red light bulb in the room shattered. "Damn, you bitch!"

       The Senshi of Dimensions did not even hear what her ex said as she separated her fans one last time, and crossed her arms, flinging them like two Frisbees, straight into the monster, one hitting his chest and the other, his head, decapitating him, before he dissipated into a puff of black smoke. 

       "It's over," Janus sighed as she fell to her knees and looked at her blood stained gloves and fuku. Practically everything white was now red. Laughing, Janus felt herself transforming back into her true self, Deidera, before everything slowing faded to black. 


	16. Shining Light

A Double Edged Sword Part 16

 Shining Light

by

Sailor Janus

"Look! All the red light bulbs are breaking," Venus announced, pointing out the shattering glass, which the others ducked away from as glowing light flooded out from the cracks around the door. 

       "What is going on in there?!" Sailor Mars exclaimed as Mercury tried to use her VR visor to see through the door, but unfortunately, it did no good.

       Smoke slowly peaked out through the door and faded, as the building grew brighter.

       "It is over," Pluto sadly said as the other senshi stared wide-eyed at the green-haired woman.

       "But the question is, who won?" Mars thoughtfully said as she crossed her arms.

       The door softly creaked as it fell open. Quickly the sailor senshi rushed into the destroyed room, only to find Deidera lying unconscious on the floor, bleeding. 

       "Deidera!" Eternal Sailor Moon cried out as she raced to the girl, and knelt beside her. Saturn walked calmly towards her while examining the room. 

       "She did it. She destroy Lord Cacus for good," the purple clad girl softly said.

       The other senshi had left to call for an ambulance after noticing the girl's blood on the floor. Within minutes, it finally arrived.

*~*~*~*

       The sun shone brightly through the window as Deidera slowly awoke. Squinting she brought her hand to her face, shielding her eyes.

       "Hey, you're finally awake," Michiru smiled.

       "Huh? What happened?" the girl in the hospital bed softly said as confusion hit her.

       "You annihilated Lord Cacus and survived. Don't you remember?" Hotaru answered as she looked at her friend with a smile. 

Deidera had been out for a few days after having surgery to repair her broken bones. Luckily, Hotaru managed to repair most of her cuts before the ambulance came, so there was no risk of scars as well as investigation on what exactly happened to the girl. They already had enough problems as it was trying to explain what happened to them.

       "Good, I never want to see that monster as long as I breathe, and then some," Deidera sighed with relief as her memory of the fight slowly came to her. 'At least they remained safe. I have already hurt them enough as it is.' The girl looked confused at all the people around her. All the senshi including Tuxedo Kamen were gathered around her bed. 'Wait. Why are they here?' Taking a deep breath she asked, "I don't understand. Why are all of you here to begin with? I mean, my evil half tried to murder all of you and then there was all the events of the Silver Millennium. I figure you all would still hate me."

       "You are not the only one to regain their full memory back," Setsuna said firmly. "We understand that you were used with the only thing that you ever wanted was used as a weapon against you. Love." 

       Deidera glanced at everyone's faces. They seemed very sincere as they nodded, even Haruka who was finally out of the wheelchair. Tears came to Deidera's eyes as she recalled her last moments on her planet before she died and it blew up.

*~*~*~*

_       "I will fight you to the end Queen Beryl! You will not get your hands on the other kingdoms as long as I stand!" Sailor Janus shouted with venom in her words. 'What have I done?! I turned my back on them! I won't hurt them again!' she angrily thought as her fans materialized in her gloved hands._

_       "Then I shall see to it that you fall!" Queen Beryl snarled as she threw black energy at the girl, who tried to reflect it off her fans, but it was too strong, sending the burgundy and hunter green clad sailor senshi soaring through the air and slamming painfully into a pillar. _

       Wincing as she climbed to her feet, she searched with her eyes for that damned man who betrayed her, but he was no where to be found. Silently the princess cursed as she approached the evil woman before trying to gather as much energy as possible while she joined the two fans together. "United Fan Radiance!" Sailor Janus cried out, sending gold and silver light hurtling towards Queen Beryl who instead of showing fear, laughed at the girl as she batted the attack away as if it were a common housefly.

_       Sailor Janus stared wide-eyed in fear at the woman. "No, that was my strongest attack! Now what?" _

_       Panic soon took over as another of Queen Beryl's black energy lightning hit her. _

_       Crying out in pain, the girl was forced to the ground. Janus lifted her head and clenched her teeth and spit out the blood that was in her mouth. She knew she would not live through this fight but she'd be damned if that evil witch was going to wreck havoc in the other kingdoms. _

_       Biting her lip as the look of determination filled her eyes, she rose from the ground. Closing her eyes, Janus concentrated all of her energy towards her attack to the point where she was glowing with burgundy energy. The burgundy-haired princess knew this would be her final attack, killing her in the process, but she didn't care, she couldn't let that woman get her hands on the others! _

_       Opening her eyes, she stared deadly at the witch who was smirking. Swallowing, Sailor Janus took a deep breath and screamed with all her might to the point where she hoped Sailor Mercury could hear her. "UNITED FAN RADIANCE!"_

_       Bright gold and silver energy emitted from the huge fan striking out and hitting Queen Beryl, fazing the woman slightly, but it did not kill her. _

_       Sailor Janus's legs gave out as a surreal feeling filled her body. Tears came to the girl's eyes as she fell to the ground. 'I couldn't do it! Damn it! I couldn't do it. I'm sorry. Everyone. Take care.'  Slowly Princess Janus breath gave out as her last thoughts echoed in her head as Queen Beryl began to blow up her planet. 'I'm sorry.'_

_*~*~*~*_

       Deidera looked up with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

       The others fell silent and smiled. "What's in the past is in the past." Ami said, trying to reassure the girl.

       "If only I wasn't so stupid!" 

       "But you corrected your mistake by defeated that demon. You did a good thing," Makoto grinned.

       Deidera smiled back and decided that it was going to take some getting used, especially the fact that everyone was being so nice to her. Finally. Acceptance.__

_*~*~*~*_

Six Months later

"Hotaru. Hotaru! Are you okay?" Deidera knocked on her door before quietly opening it. "We're going to be… late for school," she finally said when her eyes caught sight of her friend sitting on the bed wearing a pair of indigo jeans, a black tank top under a deep purple lace shirt rather than her school uniform.  She had a very solemn expression on her face that looked like someone just died. "What's wrong?"

       Quietly the girl said without looking up, "My father is dying."                

       Deidera blinked at the girl's answered as she bowed her head slightly allowing a piece of hair to fall into her face. Normally she'd push it out of the way and grumble about having to get a hair cut thanks to the fight, but at least most of it had grown back. Instead she sat on the edge of the bed, "I'm sorry. Hotaru," the burgundy-haired girl softly said.

       Just then Setsuna rushed into the room. "Hotaru, It's your father."

       The girl glanced up and nodded her head. "I know. We have an hour left. May I skip school today?"

       Setsuna nodded her head, "Yes, both you and Deidera may skip if you'd like. This is a family emergency after all. Go get ready. I'll take you to the hospital." Quietly, the woman left the room leaving the two girls alone once again. 

       Deidera looked at her friend. "I'll come with if you'd like."

       A tiny smile appeared on Hotaru's sorrowful face. "Thank you."

       Silently, Deidera left the girl's room so she could change out of her school uniform. 

      A few months after Deidera was released from the hospital, her neglectful aunt had died. Feeling that the girl needed as much support as possible, especially since Deidera never really knew what a family was, the outer senshi adopted her. Unfortunately, the past few months had been very trying on Hotaru. Her father seemed to become weaker each day. Deidera always felt guilty because of it. She did watch him collapse after all, when her evil self tried to kill his daughter. The outer senshi also promised become Hotaru's legal guardians as well after her father died but still supporting her while he was alive as well.

       The car ride was the most difficult, and the endless minutes in the waiting room while they were trying to revive him felt like hours and days even, were the most excruciating minutes of Hotaru's life. But she knew there would be no hope. 

       Slowly, a doctor walked out of the room her father was in and motioned for the three young women to follow him.  Hotaru knew exactly what he was going to say as he led them to the room.

        "Hotaru. I'm sorry, but there is nothing we can do," the doctor calmly said as they entered the room.

       The words echoed in her head as she stared at her father's still form lying on the starchy, white sheets in his hospital room. Shock. Numbness soon took over as reality finally set in. Her father would never come back. 

*~*~*~*

Author's Notes: I have FINALLY gotten this story revised and edited. Now I happily say this is my first story. Amusingly enough, I found several elements which I repeated in other stories that are present in this one. 

If you want to read more on Deidera, I have several stories which feature her.

Dimensional Disaster: the true sequel to this story is a SM/DBZ story which takes place exactly after this story when Deidera tries out her dimensional powers. Unfortunately, I still have the dub names, but many readers seem to still like it.

Shattered Reality: a SM/GW story where certain members of the sailor senshi are in GW's time line. 

Tragic Rain: takes place a few years after this one when Deidera and Hotaru are forced to leave their dimension and end up in the GW time line.

Forgotten Destiny: another SM/GW story involving Heero with a case of amnesia and the senshi are known under different names. 

Plus several others. Unfortunately, this story only featured snippets of  Deidera's real personality which is quite sarcastic and playful. She is proudly my first created character, which is why I chose her for a pen name and oddly seems to appear somewhere in most of my stories. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this story.

*~*~*~*

SJ


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